Table of Contents
I'm excited to announce that I will be self-publishing my first book in a few weeks! In today's newsletter, I'm sharing three poems from the book.
In Search of Happiness is my first book, and it's a poetry and short-essay journey through mental health issues toward a path of finding eventual healing and meaning.
I believe that anyone who has ever struggled with their mental health will find something from this book that resonates with them.
I hope you enjoy this sneak preview.
Positive Mental Health Poems From My First Book
Mental Health Poem One
Chinks in My Armor
love is not what I wanted
but what I needed
it’s not a rainbow
but a rain bow
angling waterfalls
to cover me
with what I can’t escape
I thought I could name it
now I know
to name
is to limit it
is to dismiss it
is to render it
powerless
love is least expected
when it is most needed
try to force it
and it shrinks
try to grab it
and it recoils
try to live it
and it pales
but give up trying
and love
seeps into the cracks
growing flowers
through the chinks in my armor
Mental Health Poem Two
Embracing a Single Thought
I remember when I first noticed
The constant thoughts
And the noticing
It was the hardest part
But new awareness
Brought new hope
That somewhere in the thoughts
There was freedom
And a pause
A mere staccato of space to be seized
The mind is tamed when it is noticed
Insight is its own reward
A million-step journey toward the center
Starts by embracing
A single thought
Mental Health Poem Three
The Soil of An Island
when all is the same
who will be the piercing light?
the one who stands
alone
who bends and cuts
when others march?
others feel
the weight
of the world
with bodies, pressed
the burden
is shared, but also
indistinguishable
I choose to be free
with my thoughts
with my dreams
with the way
I see the world
I watch them all
float by
on a sea
of sameness
they live
for the waves
the rolling weekends
I am an island
long gone from Pangaea
who still feels
the homeland in his soil
