Art of Accompaniment

Mental Health Awareness Month (MHAM) in May. This is written in collaboration with my youngest son. He and I both have experienced firsthand the ramifications of Mental Illness. Writing to share our thoughts and potential ways to offer aid to those in need.

Have you ever

Lost your best friend

But before you could mend

You lost another?

.

Have you ever

Felt so insane

For always wanting

To have said that last thing?

But it’s not the same

When left there,

unspoken and contained

.

Those words of comfort

Spun around dried and died

Inside

The walls inside your head

.

Painted in different colors

With the memories

of a fallen brother

Wish’n the bullet

was made of rubber

.

Have you ever

Driven into town

Thinking

Armored Tanks where abound?

.

Have you ever

Forgot where you're going

Life getting crazy

Your mental health

Feeling a bit hazy?

.

A minds perspective

Might be rock-solid and sound

Then a misty fog settles in

Rendering one’s reference frame unsound

.

Let’s erase the stigma

Of unsettled states of mind

.

How can we connect

With a language in kind?

A mystery not unlike

The Rosetta Stone

finding the right means in

decoding actions, words spoken, or left unspoken

.

What does this

art of accompaniment,

seeking connectivity look like?

To ensure those enduring know

“They Are Not Alone.”

.

“It’s okay to not be okay“

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine’s contact information and hours of availability as a resource for people seeking mental health support:

Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., ET 800-950-NAMI (6264) [email protected] nami.org/Help