Tag Archives: Fiona H. Evans

FIONA H EVANS: Birralyn means the sparks of the banksia over there

Artistic, Poetry, Submissions, Top Stories, , , ,

I wake and wander riverside
on a crisp winter morning.
Sunshine chases chills
from my bones
while my heart warms
with wonder
that I am welcome here
in what will always be
Aboriginal land.
My history not white-washed
but somehow forgiven.
My love for this place
a gift of grace.

Fiona H Evans has lived for 25 years in the suburb of Bayswater, by the Swan River in Perth. She walks the riverside every day in a place named Birralyn by local Noongar people long before it became Bayswater. Ever changing, ever the same, this place is as beautiful as it was 25 years ago. Probably as beautiful as it was a hundred years ago. Or 45,000 years ago, which is how long we have evidence of Noongar people living here. But of course, they’ve been here longer. This was always their land.

FIONA H EVANS: In the Nuts

Artistic, Submissions, ,

He tickles her, making her squirm.

My brave daughter shouts, “No!”

If he doesn’t stop, she’ll kick him hard— right where it hurts. I taught her that no means no. I taught her to fight. But I’ll never tell her my secret. That if I’d defended myself, she wouldn’t exist.

Fiona H Evans is a retired mathematician. She lives on Noongar Boodja in Perth Western Australia and is hoping to publish her first novel this year. You can read more of her writing at fionahevans.com.

FIONA H EVANS: Duplicity

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , ,

I woke one morning with a strange new ability. I could see the lies people told themselves written on their faces. I avoided the I’m-importants and the I’m-a-winners, walking the streets until I found a sad-eyed boy who lied, “I don’t care.” I took his hand and led him home.

Fiona H Evans is a mathematician who just quit her day job. She lives on Noongar Boodja in Perth Western Australia with an aging but beloved dog. You can read more of her writing at fionahevans.com.

FIONA H EVANS: Samsara

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , , ,

After the funeral, as I’m tidying your shed, I find a wooden box tucked away on a high shelf behind an entanglement of brooms, rakes and garden tools. Inside, you’ve nestled a glass jar of seeds in crumpled newspaper. What were you saving, Dad? Shall I plant them, and see?

Fiona H Evans eats alphabet soup and arranges words into stories. She lives on Noongar Boodja in Western Australia, in a cottage near a river where black swans swim.

FIONA H EVANS: Better?

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

I can’t contain my tears as I hug my grieving friend, grateful that I’ve never lost a husband to cancer. After she leaves, I change into pyjamas, fill my bowl with cornflakes for dinner, drink the leftovers from last night’s bottle of wine, watch TV and go to bed. Alone.

Fiona H Evans is a mathematician and writer who lives in Perth, Western Australia. You can read more of her stories at fionahevans.com.

FIONA H EVANS: Monkey Magic

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

“Which one of you kids drank all the milk?” your mother screams.

Children scatter like flies from the dead echidna you found by the road. You hope she doesn’t look up. If this gumtree was tall enough to touch the sky, you could mount a passing cloud and fly away.

Fiona H Evans is a ballerina who dances on dictionaries. She lives in Perth, Western Australia, on Noongar Boodja with a dog, a cat and a few bantams.

FIONA H EVANS: The Widower Next Door

Submissions, Touching, , , , ,

I add a dab of perfume to the letter telling you how I feel and slide it under your door. Two days later, you haven’t responded. I thought you’d grown fond of me over the last forty years. You must still mourn for Alice. I miss my best friend, too.

Fiona H Evans is a mathematician who writes what she feels. She lives in Western Australia, on Noongar Boodja. You can find her on Twitter at @FionaHEvans or at fionahevans.com.

FIONA H EVANS: Suffocation

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

You wipe your tears and vow he will never hurt you again: stuff toys in a bag, tuck the baby under your arm, plead with the car to start quietly. You don’t notice the moment when darkness lifts and you can breathe again, only the glow of a new dawn.

Fiona H Evans is a mathematician and wanna-be writer. She lives on Noongar Boodja in Western Australia. You can find her on Twitter at @FionaHEvans and fionahevans.com.

FIONA H EVANS: A Halloween Tale

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , , , , ,

You shouldn’t be here. Your desire for sweetness drew you to my unlit porch. You—the bullied, the outsider—avoid the other children who visit houses adorned with welcome balloons. You’ll find no candy here, but I have what you need. Come and choose one of my black cat’s kittens.

Fiona lives in Western Australia on Noongar Boodja. She is revising her first novel and is too easily distracted by flash and micro.

FIONA H EVANS: A Murder on the Wing

Adventure, Submissions, , ,

I hike to the hilltop for sunset and interrupt a murder. Hoarse cries of distress signal my arrival. Air buffets my face as inky clouds fill the sky. In moments, there is nothing left except a single black feather at my feet. It makes a jaunty addition to my hat.

Fiona is a mathematician and new writer. Visit her website at fionahevans.com.au or find her on Twitter at @FionaHEvans.