Put It To Rest “Newsletter 18” Writing Our Way To Healing

Poetry and prose on mental health and relationships

This summer Put It To Rest inspired writers to participate in the “Stepping Out From the Shadows Into Healing” writing prompt which asked writers to think about their healing journey and how the path is not linear:

When we discuss trauma recovery we tend to see this journey as linear and that a full recovery can be made. But sometimes a person may need to accept that their pain lives alongside them. Perhaps learning to live with the pain in healthy ways is the reality for trauma survivors.

Put It To Rest received submissions of poetry and personal essays on the theme of healing, going at your own pace, facing hard truths in their journey to self-acceptance, and healing the past to move forwards.

While we encourage writing our way towards healing, Put It To Rest, acknowledges that some things are too painful to share. For example, in Aimée Gramblin’s Scribbling My Way Out of Purgatory she says, “There are things I may write that will never see the light of day truths too hurtful to convey until too many loved ones are tucked away in graves or urns or oceansides.”

Poetry

Melissa Steussy The Beast Died

But the beast has died
And his body turned to ash

Walking on tiptoes
Afraid to wake the beast

Chris Patton Fearless Love and Beauty:

Filling his nostrils with her sweet scent
Her grace restores his peace

Tiffany Simone The Missing

And here I am. I’ve made it out to the other side. I’ve figured out the beauty in letting go of something that was not meant for me. I believe the right person won’t let you go. And although the missing can feel like such a ridiculous ache…

Norb Aikin Talk Through the Tears

I don’t talk; I bleed
tears for what I shouldn’t be.

Jennifer L. Stafford Robbed

Just being.
The simple beauty of being.

Think of life like you did when you were younger,
then there shall never be a robbery.

Anthony O'Dugan When Have Words Alone Ever Been Enough

That time the other day
when you were both alive again
and okay
when I told her my story
that I would never understand
the pain
and about how I felt
insane
because life is different now —
my new refrain.

When have words alone, ever been enough?

Lindsay Soberano-Wilson Butterflies In My Belly

I’ve been feeding myself more liberally
and so the butterflies have departed
they fluttered away beautifully
leaving hunger in its wake —
no more belly aches.

Lindsay Soberano-Wilson Give and Take

Maybe you don’t count
what you gave
you don’t regret
the love you gave

Instead, you say —
they must have really needed it…
and sit peacefully with the unconditional love you gave away.

Bolanlejesu Akinola Passion. Obsession. Dependence. Addiction.

Now we wish we could change the hands of time but we couldn’t.
We just wanted to know.
We were curious — what was it about?

Colleen Killingsworth Stop Hiding In Your Mind

I don’t know what I’ve become
I’m unraveled and undone
And the semblance I once had
Of a beautiful, glowing girl
Has turned into the mad
Vicious, and resentful image
Of a voided dream

Colleen Killingsworth Don’t Forget The Feeling Of The Sun

I still remember what it felt like to lay back on the warm sand and to be cradled by the security of believing in safety and comfort — believing everything will be OK.

Rebecca Herz My Father’s Heart, My Own

That when it was our turn
we introduced ourselves
by the same name
we were the same person
the same heart
the same red
beating
bloody
hurting
heart

Daniel Fincher Making Up

I can forgive
but not forget it.
You, presuming
I should roll over
and take it…

Personal Essays

Neha Sonney, Author What’s Beneath Your Anger

But is anger the primary emotion you experienced? In this post, I will shed light on the range of emotions that underlie anger. As you read along, reflect on the emotions below and notice the ones you may have not been aware of.

Leif Gregersen How To Help The Mentally Ill In Public Spaces

To those who experience something like this, the first thing you should know is that people in psychosis are rarely violent; they are actually more often victims of violence and self-harm. It is important to reassure the person they are safe. Not all people with psychosis have been to war zones, but paranoia can still exist.

Lindsay Soberano-Wilson When You Speak Your Truth, You Accept That Nothing Was Ever Fine

Still, I now know that minimizing my lived experience doesn’t help. It doesn’t allow me to accept my reality and learn how to live alongside pain. It encourages numbing the pain, however, and that is what I’m struggling to walk away from.

New Submission Guidelines

Please find our Updated Submission Guidelines. HERE.

Put It To Rest Is Open for Submissions

Put It To Rest is a mental health publication specializing in poetry, personal essays, and short stories. In the Spring of 2021, Lindsay was inspired to create Put It To Rest after the publication of I Call This Trauma in FreshVoices22. The poem champions the empowerment of giving voice to trauma through art.

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Lady Dr. Gabriella Korosi TC Hails Rebecca Herz Theodore McDowell JD Greyson Emmanuel Lomax Richard Steele Margie Willis Reece Beckett Danna Z Ghina Zaidi Michael Centrone Stephanie Parry Charlie Cole Anthony O’Dugan Shirley Verity Simmons