The shadows in our heads are our worst enemies.
They blur the lines between what actually is and what you think is,
and plague the valiant with their blunt knives.
That merry girl thinks she's bothersome
when she is quieter than all.
The boy with a football in hand looks confident
but his mind reminds him his failures.
That engineer whose eyes demand respect
thinks she doesn't deserve to live.
The skater everyone in the gym envies
can't eat without hurting himself.
These are a few of the many
who struggle to escape the chokehold.
But you are here despite the thoughts that choke your smile.
Your head is in a battlefield yet you face the world.
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Context: Mental illness is a struggle almost everyone faces at one point or another. But we're within an environment that makes us hesitate to even speak out lest we come off as weak. When, in fact, your struggles are proof of your strengths.
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Purple Summer
PoetryThis is a series of poems that are born from the troubles in my bones and the salty heat of this summer. Purple Summer explores the celebration of each other, the sequence of life, the worrying idea of hate mongering in today's world, and the sti...
