Here are two stunning poems by Daniela Nunnari inspired by her time working with the group. They are set next to one of the themed photo images shot by the participants.
Her Lips are Locked
Her lips are locked, they threw away the key.
She cannot share the pain inside.
She hides behind a mask of pretty colours.
She moves slowly, under the weight of words unheard,
emotions stored in secret cupboards, deep and dark.
She searches for a voice that sounds like hers.
She’s tired of blocking out the world, of fighting, kicking, pushing them away.
But who would stay to listen if she spoke of all the things she must not say.
The waves rise inside her.
They surge behind her eyes and threaten to flood.
They roar in her ears.
They pour down the walls.
They crash down the stairs.
They drown out the thunderstorm that rages there.
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Here is another poem which is inspired by the folded poetry created by the group:
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Hidden Beauty
Hidden beauty, crouched in the shadows.
No-one else sees the ugliness you find in the mirror.
Please stay back, you cry, I’m darker than I look.
You close your eyes so intensely, the world around you ceases to exist.
You’re lost in a thunderstorm.
Cowering under skies as black as swollen eyes.
Who decided one girl should carry the world?
You cannot be contained. You’ve grown too large for this hiding place.
You’re a bursting dam, a broken vase, an untamed ocean.
You pour your words into their deaf ears, in gushing, rushing torrents.
But here is someone who’ll unburden you.
Someone else to carry all this weight.
Let you words be heard and understood.
Sometimes when you lose, you win.
Take a chance.