It’s National Poetry Day – Four poems surrounding men’s mental health
It’s National Poetry Day and ‘For Men To Talk’ founder/director Luke Newman has written four poems surrounding men’s mental health.
‘Anxiety in men, it’s real’
Anxiety in men, it’s real and it’s raw,
Ain’t no shame in admitting you saw.
The demons in your mind, they won’t go away,
But together we can make them pay.
Anxiety, it’s a real thing, ain’t no joke,
Ain’t just for the weak, it’s for the strong folk.
It’s like a cloud that hangs over your head,
Can’t shake it off, no matter what you said.
It starts with a thought, then a feeling,
Next thing you know, your mind is reeling.
Can’t focus on nothing, can’t relax,
Feels like you’re stuck in a never-ending tax
It’s not something you can just ignore,
It’s not something you can just deplore.
You gotta face it head-on, take control,
Or it will consume you, body and soul.
So if you’re feeling the weight of the world,
Just remember, you’re not alone.
We’ll fight this battle together,
And we’ll come out as the champions, known.
‘The mens mental health agreement’
We gotta talk about it, we can’t be shy.
Mental health is just as important as physical, that’s no lie.
So let’s break the stigma, let’s break the mold,
Let’s be real with ourselves, and let our stories be told.
Mental health is something we all need,
But for men it’s often ignored, like a weed.
Society says be tough, don’t show your pain,
But that’s not healthy, leads to a lot of strain.
Depression, anxiety, they don’t discriminate,
They affect all men, it’s not just fate.
But we gotta take control, we gotta take charge,
We can’t let our minds be trapped in a large.
It’s okay to ask for help, it’s okay to be vulnerable,
It’s not a sign of weakness, it’s just being responsible.
So let’s start the conversation, let’s start the change,
Together we can make mental health not so strange.
Mental health is important, let’s not forget,
For men, it’s time to speak up, it’s time to break the set.
‘Stress in men, it’s a real thing’
It’s not just in your head, it’s a real thing.
We gotta talk about it, we gotta deal with it,
Cause stress in men, it’s a real thing
Stress got a hold on me, can’t shake it loose,
It’s like a weight on my shoulders, can’t find no use.
Got me feeling anxious, can’t sleep at night,
Got me feeling hopeless, like I’m losing the fight
They say “be a man”, but what does that mean?
Does it mean bottling up all my feelings, feeling unseen?
I’m not a robot, I’m not a machine,
I got emotions, I got a heart and it’s not clean
It’s time to break the mould, it’s time to change the game,
It’s time to speak up, it’s time to claim.
Our right to feel, our right to heal,
Cause stress in men, it’s a real deal.
So let’s break the silence, let’s break the chains,
Let’s talk about stress, let’s talk about pains.
Cause when we do, we’ll find the cure,
And we’ll be stronger, we’ll be more pure.
‘Grief in men ain’t weak’
Grief in men, it’s real and it’s raw,
We gotta learn to deal, before it tears us all apart.
Men ain’t supposed to cry, supposed to be strong.
But grief hits us all, can’t deny that for long.
We bottle it up, try to hide our pain,
But it’s like a volcano, bound to erupt and reign.
Losing someone close, it feels like a knife,
Stabbing deep in the chest, taking away our life.
We try to be brave, but it’s hard to pretend,
When the tears fall like rain, and the pain never ends.
But we ain’t alone, we all feel the same.
We gotta lean on each other, through the grief and the pain,
It’s okay to cry, it’s okay to hurt,
We gotta process it all, to heal and to not just be a blur.
We gotta talk about it, we gotta feel it,
Grief ain’t weak, it’s just part of the deal.
We’ll make it through, we’ll find a way,
Together we’ll navigate, this grief in men today.