What if I just wasn’t here? A Collection of Poems by Joseph Law What does it mean to stay alive when living feels unbearable? In this raw and deeply intimate debut collection, Joseph Law writes from the quiet spaces most people are afraid to name — longing, survival, identity, control, and the fragile act of continuing when disappearance feels easier than hope. These poems do not shout. They confess. They question. They endure. Moving between despair and defiance, What if I just wasn’t here? explores mental illness, autonomy, grief, queerness, and the complicated beauty of simply remaining. Each poem becomes a record of survival — proof that even in moments of profound darkness, a voice can still speak, still feel, still stay. This is not a book about giving up. It is a book about what happens when someone chooses, again and again, to remain. For anyone who has ever wondered if their absence would matter — this book answers softly: you are still here. About the Author Joseph Law is an emerging Australian poet whose work explores survival, identity, autonomy, and the quiet realities of living with emotional pain. Writing with unflinching honesty and lyrical restraint, his poetry gives voice to thoughts often left unspoken — the tension between despair and hope, vulnerability and resilience, disappearance and endurance. Drawing inspiration from personal experience as well as the cultural figures and stories that shaped him growing up, Joseph’s writing reflects a deep commitment to truth-telling and emotional authenticity. His poems examine mental health, queerness, belonging, and the human need to be seen and understood. What if I just wasn’t here? is his debut collection.