I originally posted this in May, for Mental Health Awareness Month. Today is Mental Health Awareness Day.
“Fools write books about madness being an elevated mental state or an alternative form of creativity. It’s not. It’s anguish.”
— Jonathan Kellerman, mystery writer and clinical psychologist.
Worthlessness
You’re better off without me
How can you not see
I’m a weight dragging you down
You know everyone loves you
I’m just holding you back
Stifling your potential
You could do so much more
Have so much more
Without me
Making you settle
For less than you deserve
Promising mediocrity
Delivering failure
Managing existence
Barely
Poorly
Awfully…
I’m sorry
You really need to go
Be everything I am not.
Meg Sorick, Author/Artist 
Interesting poem and a wonderful way to spotlight mental illness!
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Thanks Diane. Kellerman is one of my favorite mystery writers… I took that quote from his latest book: Breakdown.
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And May is Mental Health Month!
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Yes indeed!
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Powerful!
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Thank you, Rita!
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Clever and moving x
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Thank you, Al. It is difficult to overcome feelings like those.
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Heartbreakingly true…
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Thank you Simon, I know you know…
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Thanks lovely Dr 😃
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You’re welcome, sweetie. 😘
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You’re the sweetie 😘
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Aww! 😍
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You know it 😘
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Damn, Meg. Now I need one of those martinis with bitters you wrote about… Wonderful writing.
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Thanks Linda! Much appreciated!
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Wow, a perfect poem to highlight the thinking of some people with mental illness. Was it easy for you to get into this mindset? When I wrote my Asylum post, I had a head start on insanity, so it was easy. lol
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Oh, we’re all a little crazy… And there were times in my life that I felt like this. So summoning those feelings wasn’t too hard… Thank you, Drew.
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Beautiful poem and the sentiments expressed!
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Thank you, Rashmi!
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Damn. That’s really a bad place to be in. But really good writing, Meg!
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Thank you dear. Sometimes the dark stuff makes better writing…
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I would totally agree with that…
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I was wondering if you borrowed my brain to write this. 😛 Seriously, though, this is just, right on. Thoughts like these are in my head way too often. (Dare I even admit, most of the time.) It’s easy to jump into those feelings to write… and it usually yields some of what I think is my best work. But it’s a lot harder to then jump out of those feelings. They’re like quicksand…
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Oh it’s true! The Kellerman quote got me thinking… remembering and boy do I have photographic memory when it comes to the negative stuff. I pulled that from the deep dark recesses of my own brain… And you are spot on about them being like quicksand!
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I actually liked that quicksand analogy so much I made a note of it to write something using it. Oh, see, I sort of patted myself on the back for something! Who knew I could do that?!? 🙂
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You should do that more often! 😉
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I suppose, but it hurts my shoulder. 😛
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Powerful piece x
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Thank you, much appreciated.
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Whoa – yes! How many of us have felt this way? Too many. The pain is tangible! Thank-you for highlighting this month.
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I think it’s important not to “romanticize” that kind of pain, too. Our writer heroes suffered greatly pouring it out on the page!
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Oh yes, I wholeheartedly agree. It is a beast to deal with, nothing glamorous about it! It makes me sad that mental illness is still so misunderstood.
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This is moving. Thank you for creating it.
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Thank you.
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Oh! I feel sorry for the tortured mind. The pain is palpable.
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Thank you. And it’s so difficult for others to understand.
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Oh this is sad, don’t listen to that voice.
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I appreciate that. Thank you.
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Only the truth.
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The poem shows us what life can be like for some of us.
We don’t have to talk to ourselves in this way. There is another side to the coin.
That is something I address in At Eden’s Gate: Whole Health and Well-Being available on Amazon.
It is also part of my blog at evelynmmaxwell.com. Let’s not dig our ditches of despair deeper.
Best wishes!
Evelyn
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Thank you, Evelyn. Good advice.
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This is brilliant. Thank you for creating and sharing it. You amaze me more than you’ll ever know. (Of course I’ll never tell you…)
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I just realized I already commented back in May. Damn repost. I take it all back.
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Too late. Ship has sailed … 😁
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I still love you, though it’s waning….
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Aww!
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Um, too late! And thank you!
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I absolutely love this
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Thank you so much.
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