THE WILLOW

By Addie Suter

Deep in the forest a willow weeps. She blows whispers of nostalgia and sadness throughout her bright lit green sea. The flowers beneath tickle her bark, trying to ease her bellowing whimper, but the deep sway of her leaves keep her too preoccupied to feel the flowers breath. The light dims on the vibrant forest and the flowers contract their colors, eager to awake from the morning sun; a new morning to brush their delicate hope against the gruff bark. Each morning they are met with the overpowering whispers and the colors close again, a single petal fallen.

ABOUT THE POEM: "I enjoy writing about my experience with depression to help cope and understand it in a creative lens. I think writing allows for different people to relate to the words in whatever way they see fit for their own journey."

THE HARD WORK

By Amelia May Hart



If I put my life in your hands

Bcs I can no longer be trusted to hold it

Will you take it nd solve the puzzle that is my mind

Piece by piece bringing it back together so I can live my life to its fullest

Nd make it ur responsibility

Or will you take it and put it aside

Say you’ll sort it later

Or it’ll be fine

Then forget it exists nd leave it to deteriorate

Till there’s nothing left but my lifeless body

Or will you take it and throw it away

After all it’s not your problem is it

Even if you are the one who broke me in the first place

At the end of the day it is mine

Or will you look me in the eye and say I’m too much

Say I’m not worth it

Or too complicated to even try

After all Im just one out of 4 billion girls that exist

So what is the point if there is only one life to be saved

Or can you just look after it

Can you just take it

Nd let me do all the hard work

That’s all I want

No to be a burden

Or make it your issue

I just want the occasional “ hello, how are you”

While I do the hard work

ABOUT AMELIA: "I am 13 years old, I live in Lancashire with my mum, older sister and my dog Nala. I have struggled with my mental health since November last year and it has affected every part of my life. The hardest bit is helping people around me understand what it's like in my head, and how to help me. I have found writing poems helps me express myself and I like to share them, it might also help other people as I don't want other people to feel how I do, it's important people know they aren't alone."

ANGER

By Melissa W. Sorgi

Enemy or friend - 

Anger -

It dominates , disturbs,

concludes.

“Normal”, says every therapist.

Normal.

It ruins, I protest

It frightens my husband, I protest,

makes my baby cry,

urges me to suicide.

“Don’t hide it, uncover it”, urge the therapists.

Wide-eyed, my husband says,

“Bury it in drugs.”

But the therapists say, I start …

“Bury IT!” roars my husband.

“You scare the baby, you disgust me,

It is not normal!”

It scares me too, I want to say,

but Anger begins again.

“No more therapists!” I shout,

“no more drugs!”

Give me time to be me again,

I want to plead.

It scares me too,

But give me time.

Don’t bury me again.

UNTITLED

Riley M. Frank

Original thought or a memory?

Too old to be what I ought to have been or be

And too young to enter the oblivion of eternity;

Shakespeare’s Hamlet asked it more simply:

“To be or not to be?”

But then why not, if only to perplex my enemy?

UNTITLED

By Kyra Merryman

Today was great. Slow, steady, well-paced. Staying present, so much calmer. Still healing, and so committed. If I could tell me younger self, or anyone, who was so injured, bruised and haunted by depression, I would let them know that healing does not look like what you think it may look like.

It probably has a hundred different faces.

But, I know what it looks like to me, and I know, most importantly, how it feels.

It it acceptance.

Acceptance of it all. I mean all of it. The thoughts, the discomfort, the panic that sets in, but none of the fire and the burn. The burn came from resistance.

My fear of pain made things more painful.

And so often, pain can become so addictive we either think we deserve it so we punish ourselves, or worse, we conjure it up and inflict it to remind us of the cycles that we know, and the conditions that know us best.

We are afraid of change, and our darkness had become our safety.

I believe that is depression: complete darkness and a strong sense of (false) safety.

I believe this is freedom: complete acceptance of light and dark, and the strength that is gained from taking healthy risks.

A few healthy risks:

Healing

Self love

Self acceptance

Self forgiveness

Commitment

I will hold this with me for life:

Would you rather feel the pain of living your past?

… Or the pain of changing for your future?

I am blessed to have been given the challenges I have faced in my young years of life, my young adulthood. It is truly a gift to learn from mistakes, from the harshness of the uncontrollable world, of health challenges, of love and loss, and of self discovery.

At the age of 25, I thought I would never get out of this pit. Or fog, rather, because a “pit” has a depression (pardon the pun), that can be perceived, measures, and overcome with precision, some plan, and some gusto.

But, my depression was a fog, that shrouded me in such thick grays I was afraid to reach out, because I was worried my outstretched hands could not touch any pit or distance to be measured. And my fear would become real, would become fated: this darkness has no end, and I have no exit plan, and no chance of getting out.

Depression is me standing still, clutching my body because it's the only thing that feels like life. But, risk … risk is me reaching out with my feet following afterwards, uncaring about the possible answer that might be met. Risk is me using this one thing that I know to be living (myself, my body) and finding a way “out” by letting myself and love “in.”

It is self love, self discovery, patience, forgiveness, pauses, moments, and movements forward. This energy, when concentrated inwards, into the thing that contains life, contains energy, will inherently output light.

And with your own lantern you begin to realize that this fog is not only bearable and be overcome, but that the way forward (and in all directions) is endless expanse asking you, welcoming you, and encouraging you to move beyond.

This is stepping out of depression.

This is healing.

Earlier last month in June of 2024. My support group buddy introduced me to someone with a lot of wisdom to share. They, too, told me something that I will hold with me forever.

Love your demons, because they are trying to teach you something.

It is a risk to move beyond depression and towards healing. It, too, is a major health risk to repeat patterns of distress, disturbed sleep, disrupted eating habits, absence of exercise, and absence of laughter and love.

Staying in the past only predicts your future to be one in the same.

Healing and approaching a new life is pain as well, the kind you feel when you ache from growth. Regenerative bone and muscular tissue.

Your reward is a new vessel of life (mind, body, soul) that is living proof of persistence and the power to overcome.

With every new life, the birth is one of pain.

And the pain presents birth.

To be alive is to be life. Experience all emotions and thoughts.

Without judgment.

The way forward is not a set, linear path.

The way forward is acceptance and risk …

… and my god, it is love.

ABOUT KYRA: "I am a 25 year old living with OCD (been through hospitalizations, behavioral health programs, support group, medication ... the whole lot). I am here to tell you that we are worth fighting for and loving ourselves is the (one of the) biggest healer. Here is a journal entry I wrote and wanted to share. It is about mindfulness (so difficult for us folks, and THAT is OKAY) and expansion. I hope you can relate and gain something from this, if it isn't just love. From me to you. We got this."

FINDING ME

By Hilary Canto

It all seems a blur 

childhood to adult 

life’s trials, tribulations 

challenges and issues 

celebrations, commiserations 

highest of highs, lowest of lows 

Black clouds, Sunshine 

rain, snow or hail 

life’s maze, the will to prevail 

without darkness 

I would not know light 

without pain 

love is not a gain 

life my teacher 

greater than school 

its gifts an artist’s palette 

colouring my adventure 

no one can teach 

Wisdom and Grace 

nor reveal Truth 

staring in your face 

I took the spade 

I started digging 

created space 

where new could replace 

the worn out me I thought I was 

and like the seed germinates in soil 

the real me sprouted 

I grew from the toil 

my buds came forth 

blossomed in the sun 

the cycle of life now begun 

death and rebirth 

each new bloom 

given room 

to keep on shedding 

keep on growing 

living the journey 

the circle of life 

in finding me.

EMOTION'S ESOTERIC REALM

By David M White, PhD

When anxiety's dark force does beset the mind,

A guiding power it holds, your actions to design.

A maze of worries and fears does whisper loud,

A call to action, lest you be enslaved by crowd.

Yet, in darkest emotions, wisdom does abide,

A beacon of hope, to guide you through life's tide.

By facing fears and hopes, you tap the force divine,

That drives you to act, and problems to define.

Peace and calmness lie in solving life's plight,

And embracing emotions, rather than repression's night.

False escapes and fleeting joys, born of anxiety's sting,

To be shun, lest they ensnare, in gambling, drink, or sexual ring.

And find sustainable love in problem resolution's sun.

Through this journey, wise guidance of emotions does shine,

A strength to face life's challenges, and a blessed soul to design.

The sting of anxiety can be soothed, and peace restored,

To your inner self, in harmony and accord.

ABOUT THE PIECE: "This piece is a contemplative exploration of the intricate relationships between emotions, perception, and personal growth, delving into the complexities of the human experience and revealing how emotions can guide us towards self-discovery and understanding."

THE BATTLE

By Dionne Risley

I could just sit and wonder, trying to work it out

So many unanswered questions , what is my life about?

Trying to figure out, thoughts and feelings in my head,

Hour after hour just laying in my bed.

These thoughts they drive me crazy, just overload my brain

And leave me with a feeling , confusion mixed with pain.

At times I think my life is a constant struggle uphill

I need to stop, tell myself, it will get better, I know it will

God gives his toughest battles, to his soldiers who are strong

He is greater than all of us, surely he can’t be wrong. 

So onwards I’ll keep marching, as positive as can be

Taking this life one day at a time,and see what is thrown at me.

Each morning I write a list, of what i am grateful for 

To remind myself of what I have , even though I often want more.

One foot in front of the other, and with every passing day

I’ll find the strength within me, to move obstacles in my way. 

If I keep on marching, head up, strong as can be 

Im sure God will keep his promise, do his best to look after me.

So for now I’ll just be thankful, for the day that I have had 

And leave behind the many thoughts, the ones that drive me mad.

And once again, as I close my eyes, another day is done

Drifting off to sleep thinking, another battle I’ve won.

ABOUT THE POEM: "My poems are based mainly on my own personal experiences and struggles mainly with mental health and relationships. I have suffered with mental health issues throughout my life, and still do, this has led to other issues such as addiction. I find writing a form of therapy which helps - more than I can put into words."

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