Charly Chow

Listen to Charly read her story here

You and me, both vicar’s kids, ached for unnameable things. We sat on your bed, a little bit past fifteen, and waited for the soft click of your dad’s study door so we could risk the slip of our favorite disc into your CD player. Track 1: Affirmation. Darren Hayes crooned “I believe…” and we sang along – for once believing did not drown us. You showed me a diary written in code, hidden in the back of your bookshelf. I showed you the cage where I kept my heart and the retainer I wore to keep from grinding my teeth.

This piece was previously published by 100 Word Story

Charly is a neurodivergent poet and creative non-fiction writer interested in memory, identity and the strange tenderness of self-acceptance. Her recent work appears in Epistemic Lit, Trash Cat Lit, Curio Cabinet and Londemere Lit. She is currently working on her first chapbook, exploring inner strength, neurodivergent experience, and emotional inheritance.

Read more from Charly:

Promptly Written – ‘Never Fall in Love With a Poet‘
Epistemic Lit – ‘Neon Hourglass‘