(On World Mental Health Day)
Why did that person not seek help in time, they say
The judgment unfortunately does not go away
Despite a precious life lost to suicide
Of a depressed soul who was trying his best to hide
From a world where mental health issues are viewed
As personal failures or weaknesses, misconstrued
As fleeting emotions that one should be
Able to snap out of momentarily
Where “help” in the form of futile advice
To “be happy”, “have a hobby”, etc. exacts a heavy price
Where seeking professional help could mean
Being ostracized, as a social outcast seen
Where isolation insult to injury adds
The existing state of affairs is sad..
*
Do they know, help he had tried to seek
But he was ridiculed, made to feel he was weak
Unable to be productive while in the throes of depression
He was taunted for being lazy, that was the impression
Held by those near and dear to him too
Who in the world could he open his heart to?
*
Who solves problems by pretending they do not exist?
Yet the idea of mental illnesses being real we resist
Meanwhile millions suffer in silence
Until their symptoms take over their existence
For some the burden unbearable becomes
Leading to dreaded tragic outcomes…
*
The struggle is real, for many indeed
Empathy from the world is their foremost need
The harsh judgment that we reflexively dole out
Is the one thing that they can do without..
At the altar of societal mores, no life should be sacrificed
As a society, seeking help for mental health issues we should normalize
Passion...unbridled 