Carla Maggio De Leo
Carla Maggio De Leo is a participant in Poetic Portraits, an intergenerational creative project to showcase the creative talent and diverse life experiences of different generations in Monash.
Carla Maggio De Leo is a multidisciplinary creative based in Naarm.
A lifelong writer and songwriter, Carla has a love for language and expression through storytelling. She believes that with the right story, you can connect to anyone. A creative freelancer, Carla is a passionate performer, musician, teacher, actor and local theatre lover.
Her poetry and lyrics alike often interweave nostalgia with growing up, golden memories of childhood and friendship, bittersweet endings, feeling lost, losing love and carefully, slowly finding it again.
Ghosts
There will come a time when
You Don't Think It Anymore.
Not even on Warrigal Road.
Not even on Wednesdays.
Piece by fractured piece, they will return to you.
What was yours.
What was always yours.
There will come a time when
It Doesn't Matter Anymore.
At least, not like it used to.
It won't consume you like it once did.
You won't always be set on fire if someone asks about it.
It will always mean something to you, yes, but!-
The definition will shift and yes, one day, you will look back with all the ferocity and flames you hold,
And You Will Feel It:
forgiveness.
You. can. put. it. down.
The terrorizing weight of responsibility.
Questions of complicity.
Accusations of blames.
It's not your fault!
It's not your fault.
It's not. your. fault.
Finally, there will come a day when you will overflow with understanding and love and pride for yourself.
There will come a day when you learn to love
The ghosts you had to become.
2 Boots
A pair for me,
A pair for you.
We won't be like before
We'll be better than before
Narrow those wide eyes
Trade confessions for white lies
We'll forget who we were before
We'll be better than we were before
Spinning, floating, falling, sunk
Dizzy, dancing, sparkling, drunk
A promise: I won't remind you of who you were
If.
You set the old house on fire.
Burning, scarlett, skin a glow
Tell me, where do you want to go?
The world is our oyster, the year book said
Spiralling, fracturing, laughing dread.
2 boots
A pair for you,
A pair for me.
Sticky dance floors, driving tests, your date with Charlie.
Slinking home, disappearing away, the ghosts we've/they've been/seen.
2 boots,
The less travelled road.
A little/lot better/worse for wear
Worlds apart, still entwined.
Carefully, slowly-
We sweep the ashes out from the old house.
We could be like before,
We could be like before.
Can we be like we were?