bipolar disorder, depression, free form poetry, mental health, mental illness, poetry, poetry about mental illness, Preteen kids parenting

Midnight Shadows

black ghost

 

While most of the world around you sleeps, the little terrors crawl up the back of your neck, and knock to get it.

You know better than to let them enter, but the coldness on the back of your neck becomes intolerable and you just open a small crack.

Slowly the thoughts begin to sleep and slide and ooze … like a thick black oil that darkens everything  it touches.

The 2 am delusion has begun to awaken… and the shadows now begin to form. …in your mind….

…and in the left far corner of the room.. ..

You watch as the shadows melt into a form. The form will slither and sway from side to side, inevitably taking on the shape of something ominous. The night’s shadows play harmless tricks…or so people say. But as you blink your eyes once…twice…and again…that form becomes more solid and lifelike.

The veil between the daytime reality and the icy cold hand on the back of your neck becomes blurred, as you pull the blankets up and cover your head.

Only your fingertips peek out from underneath the blanket that you have diminishing faith in to protect you.

And you wonder if these black shadows started in your own mind…how they are now standing above you.

You can’t see them.

The blanket is covering your eyes.

But you know just the same.

The darkness is real … as long as you focus on it.

Your attention gives it power and makes it grow.

And as you focus your attention on not focusing on the shadows….they snicker at you with contempt.

Sleep tight!

( image souce from Pinterest)

 

 

anxiety, depression, mental illness, poetry, poetry about mental illness, teen poetry

Poetry about Mental Illness – Anxiety and Depression

These are  poems I wrote several months ago. I wanted to share it again because people are interested in poetry depicting mental illness. Creative arts about mental illness are a way for people to express, share and spread awareness about mental illness.

People with mental illness often feel alienated, and isolated. They are afraid to talk about their feelings with others due to the stigma about mental illness. There are many people that you we interact with every day that suffer from anxiety, PTSD, depression and other mental disorders.

Many people have these conditions from psychological abuse and damage that was inflicted upon them from emotional trauma. It is not that people with mental disorders are really any different from anyone else except that their brains are disregulated  somehow, often due to abuse and traumatic experiences.

Lessening the stigma surrounding mental illness by creating awareness is beginning to allow people to not be as afraid to talk about it. People need to not suffer alone and there is healing that can be facilitated from being able to talk rather than keeping it a secret.

I will be posting some other poetry about mental illness. There are many artists and musicians that also create in order to express their feelings about mental illness, including depression,  anxiety disorder and other mental disorders

Darkness

Lost in the dark

I can’t find my way

The daylight screams sharp

The light is all pain

Quiet in here

My mind can’t be still

Voices bring fear

I will hide

Yes I will

Until I crave contact

Whenever that may come

Until then

I’ll stay in darkness

Because it feels like

familiar home

Away

I just want to rest

Away from the stress

A corner that’s quiet

Please let me try it

Away from the mean ones

Just myself alone

To think my own thoughts

To cry and to moan

To feel what I feel

Without being told

Just who I should be

And what I should own

I just want to sit

In silence right here

No yelling or scolding

No judgement or pain

I want to be me

The way that I am

In my perfect world

Inside of my heart

Because all that I own

Is inside of my soul

They can’t take it from me

I won’t give them control

Safe

Cars make noises

as they drive by outside

I want to be inside

where it is safe

Sirens are loud

and invade my nervous system

I want to be  inside

where it is safe

People passing by the house

making noises

that remind me

I do not want to go out there

I want to be inside

where it is safe

Safe inside the house

I am safe inside the house

But where do I go

if I want to be

Safe Inside My Mind?