Naming Them
An ode to those who’re struggling mentally
You may have forgotten that your eyes,
were not born with those dark circles;
and your lips did not always strip away crusts,
when you tried to stretch a smile;
the mirror was not painted this way, you know,
it once reflected a glowing image;
so I won't ask you what happened or how it happened,
along the twists and turns of life’s bumpy road,
I can see you had your falls, I can feel someone dying,
without a decent funeral;
so here I am, naming, what people don't want to be named,
calling out, an ode, to all those feeling shunned and banished.
To those who keep ticking off a checklist,
keeping themselves busy, a childish attempt,
to keep away those cooped up thoughts,
you're not alone, I give you a name;
to those who keep collecting tufts of broken hair
unclogging the sinkhole,
and later on gasping for air, in the still of the night,
scared of some nightmares, that only dwell in anticipation,
you’re not alone, I give you a name;
to those who’ve lost meaning
to the dust that settles on time
glued up to a worn-out mattress, an even more worn-out soul,
having no reason to get up,
but no peace to sleep;
you’re not alone, I give you a name;
to those who’ve been waiting so long,
they’ve forgotten who they wait for,
drying out like the pane that holds the window,
who’ve loved and lost and struggled to love again,
only to lose everything;
you’re not alone, I give you a name;
to those, who stand on the brink of a 12 storey building,
and have lost the fear to fall,
or staring at a ceiling fan, measuring the knot,
that can tie a neck,
ready to give up on a carcass, that has drained its light,
tired;
of all those posts, compelling them to reach out,
when they’ve lost the art of communication,
ironical;
you’re not alone, I give you a name
so hang in there, a while longer
for the name I give you,
might be all that you need
let's stick a while longer,
together, this time.
