MANIPULATION

By Hilary Canto

Cradle to grave, subtle, pervasive

many words, hide, hold, create it

Like a fungal network, it bores through the soul

fear, pain, isolation controlled.

Its manifestation, an infestation

influencing, seduction, persuasion

Widening its web, tentacles through mind

confusion, fear, thoughts whirr.

Pressured, broken, minds and hearts

scream alone, cries unheard

sexual, physical abuse, emotional, mental neglect

trust broken, medicine, science, business, education, tech.

Society condemns, still condones

nothing sacred to this war zone.

Projected thoughts infiltrate every mind

violence, sex, lifestyle illusions, romance, seduction, bind

Society, relationships, playgrounds of manipulation

raping souls in every nation.

Protected inside, the inner treasure

awaits release, rewards beyond measure.

Whatever life we’ve been dealt,

this gift inside is viscerally felt.

Climb beyond manipulation, release seduction and persuasion

to deeper mind transformation,

inner fire of love and healing,

freedom everyone is seeking.

A FRONT ROW SEAT

By James Aitchison

behind my eyelids

a cinema screens my life 

and I weep for lost causes

and those I have loved

and remember 

rough passages

and count my faults

and mourn old friends

and times that will

never come again

and when my movie 

flickers and dims

I am in the white light

of paradise

I am alive

ABOUT JAMES: James is an Australian author and poet. This poem was inspired by his near-fatal journey through meningitis. Although unconscious, unable to communicate, he could see his life replayed as though watching a movie.

LOST ALL HOPE

By Natalie Hussey

I want to die

Ive had enough

I'm finding my life

Way too tough

Everyday just feels harder

And is just full of tears

All the built up misery

From over all the years

I go to sleep each night

And I pray I wont wake

But each time the sun rises

I'm back to heart ache

Everyday just gets harder

My soul is just screaming

I'm in a nightmare

Except I'm not dreaming

I want to die

Ive had enough

I don't want my life

It's way too tough

CRISIS

By Faith Graham

I am in crisis.

Can you see the spate of tears?

Streaming along the contours of my cheeks

and forming a puddle at my feet

I am in crisis.

Can you hear my harrowing screams?

Loud, vulgar, unbecoming

reverberating in the depths of my soul

I am in crisis.

Can you tell that I am in pain?

Excruciating, debilitating, constant,

framing the grimace of my apparition

I am in crisis.

Can you appreciate my suffering?

Unimaginable, undeserved, wanton

Yearning for mercy, forgiveness, and respite 

I am in crisis.

Can you discern my desperation?

Teasing, telling, taunting

enticing me to end it all.

ABOUT THE POEM: "This poem is about being very depressed, suicidal and needing help, but being unable to express it. Being misunderstood or unnoticed exacerbates the loneliness and despair."

ABOUT FAITH: Faith loves poetry and hybrid genres. She aims to touch lives with her words by sharing relatable experiences and human responses to trauma. Sometimes it helps to know that others have been there and survived.

STAY

By Abraham Aruguete

I told them the truth about what I did

I wasn’t going to be a quick fix.

Elevated heart rate, blood pressure

Cloth gowns, DBT lectures.

I can say that I’m feeling fine

And my body doesn’t know it, how sublime.

I can stand in the cafeteria line

To wait for whatever food they can find.

I can take care of myself with the mixtures

Of the things that won’t kill you if you drink them

Spending all this time just pacing

Thinking of you.

Only some phone calls

Give it your all

Lithium, aripiprazole

All of that to control

All these thoughts

And what they’ve wrought.

Stopped from sharing contact info

All these rules made, hopefully to

Prevent relapse, make this stay pay

But the only payment I want is you.

Diphenhydramine , venlafaxine

All the things they put in our bloodstream

Waiting for the thoughts to subside

But I just wanna be beside you.

Nervous tics

Antipsychotics

Talks to self

Trauma hells

So I wait

To get out late

To be free

Just for you.

DEMENTIA

By Tim Boardman

Even though

he points

at crumbs

left over

from the toast

Always white

Always

the crusts

left over

I can see

Traces of

budget

jam

smeared

on the edges

Now words

Are

together jumbled

Even after all this

He shakes my

Hand

When meeting

And

Shakes my

Hand

As I leave

Tears

In his eyes

Remembering

Something

A MESSAGE TO MY BRAIN

By Kiran Harrar

If I could get message to my Brain, I would ask why in my precious moments did you seek to destroy me? I’d lost all hope, unable to process the signals you were sending, the dark thoughts driving my mind into despair. 

I was no longer in control, the body had been taken over and there was no gatekeeper to protect my inner self.

Daylight hours were enduring, the sound of each hour slowly passed. Darkness bought solace for a mere time, only for the dawn to reawaken the beast within me.

The rebuilding came in the form of science, months to feel the freedom that had been taken away. Yet, the scars remain, you will not let me forgot or heal completely. 

ABOUT THE POEM: "This poem describing my experience of post natal depression and how it still affects me today, even though it’s been nearly twenty years since I was first diagnosed."

POEM 1

By Eshaal Asim

What do they know about her?

What do they care?

All her life they'd got what they asked for

A straight "A" student, A healthy child 

The one to continue their legacy

Why would they stop now?

Why would they tell her "its ur choice"-

When they've been pulling the strings all this time

How would they know what she has gone through?

How many nights has she cried herself to sleep?

How many times she had to lie "I'm fine"-

When she was broken inside

How many friends she lost just to fulfil their wishes?

So it comes without saying that she is a warrior-

A force to be reckoned with

The only tragedy is they would never know this!

BEAUTY

By Anthony Lanza

The Scope of the City Splendor

overtakes the young mind,

and renders reason obsolete.

The unfair advantage

held sacred in the eye of the beholder,

extends a hand that can’t be held.

Hearts break, then they mend.

Thoughts begin, only to end.

Within ourselves we hope to find,

what we lost, when we began.

What is to be always was…

To live and die in search of love.

ABOUT ANTHONY: Anthony has ADHD and suffers from anxiety. After many years of suffering, he has finally made the decision to go to therapy.

CONDITIONED MANHOOD

By Amanda Sharon Hancock

How can we anticipate genuine emotions from a man who believes that displaying vulnerability is a sign of weakness and a flaw?

How can we impose the expectation for him to toughen up when society sends conflicting messages about the true definition of manhood, causing the stigma to linger?

Since childhood, he has been conditioned to suppress his emotions, with his coach and the parents of his team labelling him as soft for shedding tears and commanding him to "man up" and suppress his pain without any reprieve.

Under the guise of coaching, it was actually a form of abuse.

He was taught to bury his feelings deep inside and never speak about his mental strain.

Society has deemed it a weakness for a man to open up and share his struggles, but how can he be strong if he cannot express his troubles? The weight of societal expectations of manhood is a heavy burden on his shoulders from a young age, yet society fails to see the damage it causes and the rage it can unleash.

It is time to break this cycle and redefine what it truly means to be a man, to allow him the freedom to express his emotions without judgment for who he truly is.

It takes courage for a man to show vulnerability and break through the walls of toxic masculinity, but only then can we truly understand the immense strength of a man's sensitivity.

Instead of demanding him to "man up," let us encourage him to open up and break free from the chains of societal norms, embracing his true self without hesitation.

For a man who can express his feelings, he is a powerful force, and society needs to recognize that the stigma of manhood is unjust.

ABOUT THE POEM: "Just because I am not a man doesn't mean that I won't advocate for men's mental health; everyone deserves mental well-being, and society needs to make that a "trend." We teach our young men that showing emotion is a sign of weakness, and that they should toughen up. However, this constant suppression of emotions can lead to serious mental health issues. And when these issues are ignored and ridiculed, it only further perpetuates the cycle of toxic masculinity and the stigma surrounding mental health. It's time for a change. It's time to recognize that mental health is just as important as physical health and should be taken seriously."

SOMETIMES I JUST BEGIN TO CRY...

By Garima Sachdev Kapoor

Sometimes I just begin to cry...

I understand not the reason why 

A heaviness entraps my physical being 

And my breathing is laboured with anxiety...

Sometimes I just begin to cry

In those fragile moments, tears emerge 

Lingering wrench with shadows surge 

As poignant messengers of unspoken pain. 

The elusive "why" I cannot explain 

Sometimes I just begin to cry

A palpable weight confines each step

Anxiety orchestrates a shortened breath, 

An intangible burden tightens its grip. 

Each inhale a struggle, an unseen dip. 

Sometimes I just begin to cry

Amidst this emotional tempest, tears flow, 

A release valve in intensity I can’t withhold. 

Cathartic reminder of vulnerability’s part. 

In washing away struggles of soul and heart

Sometimes, tears fall unbidden

Sometimes I just begin to cry

Therapeutic tears, numbness seized.

Hoping for endorphins, vital release



MEANDERING THOUGHTS ON A RAINY DAY

By Gary Shulman

Forgive my feeble attempts to say

Words of wisdom on a gray rainy day

But attempt I will to surmise and display

For poetry helps keep our demons at bay

What if the world were pristine and clean?

What if kindness expunged all that was mean?

What if compassion enveloped us all?

What if we rose every time we did fall?

What if the dogs had the power to rule?

What if every child were blessed to attend school?

What if our leaders were all honest and true?

What if they truly cared about me and you?

What if all illness had a miraculous cure?

What if decisions we made were 100% sure?

What if “please” and “thank you” could once again reign?

What if sweet children would be exempt from all pain?

What if our waters were devoid of pollution?

What if common sense ruled every solution?

What if bigotry were a thing of the past?

What if our happiness could always last?

What if, what if ... so many more to display!

But they must just remain ... for another rainy day.



NOTHING LEFT IN ME

By Johnathan Eldridge 

Every morning I awake 

I take the pills that sign my fate

There is nothing left in me

There’s just an empty void left inside 

There’s nothing left in me

I try so hard to fill this space

That escapes my soul without a trace

There’s nothing left in me

I cannot hide behind this life

As it carves me up like a knife

There’s nothing left in me

This space is better of left empty

As I feel it’s no use in the land of plenty

There’s nothing left in me

I love my kids and I love my wife

so why do I feel like I just can’t fight

there’s nothing left in me

My eyes are full of tears and pain

As my body shivers with the shame

That there’s nothing left in me

Sometimes I wish I could scream and shout 

But it’s so hard when I’m all tapped out

There’s nothing left in me

So I’ll just keep popping these pills 

But I am sure there’s nothing left in me

ABOUT THE POEM: "I guess that it was a moment in time when we can all feel useless and there seems nothing left in us. But We have to remember it's something that can pass and we can move on and there is always someone who cares and will listen. We just have to learn to love ourselves and to trust others around us."

Share your Poetry for Mental Health ...