Student poem on Mental Illness

Blyth Academy Student, Nawaf R., composed a palindrome poem about mental illness that was recently published on the blog ‘Boys Cry‘. When writing this poem, Nawaf was inspire by a poem called ‘Refugees’ by Brian Bilston.

James Deacon, creator of Boys Cry, shared his comments on Nawaf’s poem:

“His use of the palindrome form is such a clever way of presenting life with a mental illness. The outward self so many of us project, full of hope and a belief things can be (or are) different, and the inward self, impossibly cruel, endlessly critical, robbing us of life’s vitality. This is a beautiful and tragic exploration of the juxtaposition that is life with a mental illness.”

Please enjoy Nawaf’s poem below.

—-

Mercurial

I can do this

I was foolish enough to think

I’m not strong enough

I feel

Happiness

Long gone are the days of

Pain and distress

There is nothing but

Success from now on

There will be no

Unhappiness.

I have found

A way out

There isn’t

Any more sadness

I don’t need

Help

(Now read from the bottom to the top)