TRIGGER WARNING!
This website contains poetry and true stories about trauma, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, self-harming, depression and other significant mental health issues, as well as personal stories of emotional neglect and abuse, which some people might find upsetting.
Poetry for Mental Health
Supporting people around the world through words and poetry.
Poetry for Mental Health
has supported thousands of people through words and poetry! No matter what your age, background and experience, culture, nationality, or identity; whether an established writer with many published titles to your credit, or an aspiring poet who has never written a word of poetry in your life, our philosophy here is to embrace, welcome and support everyone, everywhere, and help you cope through words and poetry.
About ...
"I formed
Poetry for Mental Health at the outbreak of COVID, as a way of helping people cope mentally through lockdown and the pandemic by inspiring them to write poetry. Six years, eight books, and many thousands of pieces of poetry later,
Poetry for Mental Health
is still inspiring people to write poetry for positive mental health! And with almost 1500 visitors a the month, it
is now probably the largest and most visited website of its kind on the net!"
ROBIN BARRATT - Founder POETRY FOR MENTAL HEALTH
"It is undeniable that putting thoughts, feelings and emotions into words, on paper, can be both therapeutic and an incredibly effective method of self-help and healing ... "
Just Released !!! ...
My Mental Health
Writers and poets around the world talk about their own personal journeys with mental health.
For further details, to see a full contents list, and to order a copy, click on the link below:
NEW - This Week's Featured Poetry (x4)
Week commencing Monday 13th July, 2026.
SURFACE
By Ezekiel Harris
It's like we're born in the abyss
Others are born on the surface
An alarming number of us never reach the surface
Much less see the shore
Our souls are the only ones to witness the clouds
That's how we know they exist
Though we've never seen them with our own eyes
A picture of them is somehow embedded in our distant memories
Can you imagine the joy one must feel to soar amongst them
What a glorious feeling that must be
I can only imagine
I don't like being here
It's so dark that you start to think the surface doesn't even exist
How could the surface be so far away
So what is a cloud
I pray for the many who feel this way, myself included
May we reach the clouds some day
But first we must get to the surface
We ill only notice it when or if we reach it
And then the journey begins ...
PUPPIES IN A PET SHOP ... AN ODE TO ADHD
By Ronald Garcia Orrantia
The puppy arrives confused and alone,
With all of the birds and kittens and guineapigs and rabbits
And the fish, roaches and rodents to feed the snakes
Until a whimper is heard, another lonely howl
That falls upon either deaf ears or the dismissive.
And when they recognize another kindred soul,
Of course, all they want to do is play,
Two puppies so excited that they piddle the floor
Whenever they get too engaged …
That is a need the normal don’t understand,
A connection that can never be explained …
Never to them …
One little bit of shown abnormality and they all think we’re Ed Gein …
ABOUT RONALD: Ronald Garcia Orrantia has been writing dark poetry and stories since his early teens. He has been published in NBAP Literary Magazine Fall Metal Pumpkin edition 2024, Dark Poet's Club III edition, The Corvus Review magazine Summer 2025, California Bards SoCal Anthology 2025.
UNTITLED
By Martin Chrispine Juwa
My heart counted years in your laughter.
I learnt fatherhood grammar faster
than the voice of your mother could shout.
For three long years I wrestled against my
fatherhood worries and fears,
while holding your small hands in mine.
I carried you through fevers and diarrhea,
I sang you lullabies during restless nights and
smiled with you in mornings that kept us stuck together.
But now adults have built walls you will never understand
when you grow up.
Unfortunately, I won’t be there to defend myself.
You have not asked for this. We have, out of foolishness.
Failure weighs my face these days.
Because fathers measure success by presence.
I tell myself I tried. But it is not enough.
That’s why anger sharpens its fangs against me
whenever I miss your little face gazing into mine,
whenever I remember your inquisitive mind.
It is like I have died yet here I am,
stolen from your hugs.
My deepest wound is not the divorce,
but the fear of losing you while I still breath.
ABOUT THE POEM: This poem is a personal cry over the custody of my son.
MY ANXIETY
By Siwaphiwe Matha
It's just my anxiety
I guess
My chest tightens
Every time I try to reflect
On days where my tears would be seen as a crime
I haven't cried in a while
Maybe it's because I grew stronger
Or maybe I let my soul rot
From fear of my dreams being sold .
It's just my anxiety
I guess
I would rather see pain
That feel my heart break
So I let pain feed on my skin instead .
Steadily
I would breathe
Seeing red through the layers
But it's only my heart that would bleed .
It's just my anxiety
I guess
But it feels like an anchor
It repeats
It's a cycle
I can't seem to forget
I was labelled
"Big girl"
By my friends
So yes
I don't cry
Nor do I regret
The times where I would lock myself
In the bathroom
Sit by the floor
And tattoo my hate in my veins
But I can't forget .
It's my anxiety
I guess
That keeps me up
Keeps me tired
Keeps me seeking for comfort
In places I have never been
I am bothersome
Ain't I?
My sister told me that before
I don't mean trouble though
I just wanted to free my soul .
ABOUT THE POEM: This poem is about how anxiety consumes you and transforms your world.
ABOUT SIWAPHIWE: Siwaphiwe Matha was born in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa in 2010. Inspired largely by artists like Billie Eilish and Zevia, she began expressing her emotions through poetry and short stories. She has only been a volunteer for an online magazine for a couple of months.
Ttiktok: @siwaphiwematha
Lots more Featured Poetry here:
Our Books
Featured Poets
Featuring poets from around the world, with up to six pieces of their work, and a little about the author and the stories behind their work.
And lots more ...
Personal Journeys
In their own words, writers and poets write about their own personal journey with mental health.
Interviews
Ten amazing writers and poets talking about their own personal journey with mental health.
Featured Books
Promoting poetry books and publications.
And lots more ...
Other ...
Directory of Support Services
Charities, groups and organisations worldwide offering mental health help and support to people in crisis.
Mental Health First Aid
Identifying warning signs of common mental health crisis, and how to guide a person towards safety and appropriate help.
What's new at Poetry for Mental Health ...
Poetry for Mental Health's newsletter: June 2026.
Click the button below to download a pdf version.
NEWSLETTER
Send us your name and email address and we'll keep you updated with what's new at
Poetry for Mental Health, plus calls for submissions for our titles and website. IMPORTANT: we'll never pass your details onto anyone else ... ever!
Publishing Services
We publish books for other people too!!!
Would you like to see your poetry collection published as a paperback and Kindle, and available for other people to read around the world? Prices start from just £150.00 for a chapbook / short poetry collection. Click on the link for more info. Plus Promoting Your Book- information and advice for promoting and marketing your book. We have published over 100 books for other people. Just a few examples below:
We have published over 100 books for other people. Just a few examples below:
NOTE ON CONTRIBUTIONS: We publish mental health poetry from around the world, and for a number contributors to this website, English is not their first language. Unlike some other platforms, we don't heavily edit a poet's own work (if we did, it would then not be their own work!), so please focus on a poet's messages and meanings, and not necessarily on any grammatical mistakes or translated imperfections that may arise within their contribution.
