Hysteria

An indictment of how we treat women - and the world they move through.

I pick you the flowers.
I pick the wisteria.
They pick me apart
And they call it hysteria.

A wild woman’s burden.
A bird that needs caging.
A huge act of violence
Are the violet hues of sin.

Watch it turn blue,
The starving of that bird.
Indigo flowers pruned.
The garden unwatered.

Calm shades turn grey,
Fading ink in the final word.
What colour do you bleed
When seen but not heard?

About the Poet:
Niala Lewis is a Meanjin-based theatre-maker and poet. She advocates for the inclusion of all artists in all spaces and brings a curious, rigorous approach to her creative work. Through performance and poetry, she explores language, emotion, and silence - challenging traditional narratives and inviting new ones.