wildscape. literary journal

Hystero Hysteria
by Ghalia

“Hyster-“ is a a prefix stemming from the ancient Greek word for “uterus” or “womb”. It is related to “hysteria”, an outdated phrase, dating back to 1900 B.C., for psychological conditions that were historically believed to be caused by uterine disturbances, or a “wandering womb”. 


Fear lives within the walls –
On Friday it is surgically extracted.
The needles and the small death,
Old friends.
The unknown,
An unwelcome guest.
I wake with a cavern in my abdomen,
Stillness underneath.
I miss yesterday’s rain,
Last year’s sunshine,
But never today.

My womb no longer wanders.
Instead, a lake forms from my body,
Carved out of the soil,
Both emptied and engulfed.
A lake of dark submersion, 
Of learning to swim in a lightning storm,
The trees tall and silent shadows,
Looming over my hollow defeat.
Betrayal, or what is the term for
The body turning in on itself?
And what of self-reflection?
A mirror gazes into a mirror.
Between the self and the self,
An infinite distance.
Night by night, there is torment.
Night by night, there is love.

about the author // Ghalia