16/01/2026
“It’s nothing a Noisette croissant can’t fix”
My entry is this year’s Unearthed Art Prize
Diary of a Port Melbourne 20 something…
“ I love waking up in this apartment.
Port Melbourne wakes up with me
the city starts to breathe
I step out on my balcony
5am runners passing by like they know where they’re going
I have no idea where I’m going
except to Noisette
and it’s all ok.
I am learning this in fragments
in early mornings,
in long walks along the bay
the water listens better than people do
and I don’t even have to say anything
this works for me.
It’s like my map has been ripped out of my hands
by some strong, arrogant wind
leaving me like, wtf.
this analogy makes me laugh.
as I stand at the edge of the water between what was planned and what remains
and somehow
I’m able to laugh
and laughter tends my broken heart
far better than tears
far better than conversations.
It’s Saturday
and on Saturdays I clean my little home
and treat myself to a bunch of lilies
by Monday they will start to open
and smile at me when I wake up
one by one they open and it’s like a beautiful gift each morning
I love this.
And I like their company tbh
At night, the city hums differently
the lights blink on like little promises when I feel myself start to fall…
It will all be ok! You’re not alone! Keep going!
I sit with who I am today
and let her be enough.
You’re doing good, kid.
And tomorrow,
I will wake up here again
in my little apartment
beside the water
opposite Noisette
and it’s all gonna be ok.
