mental illness poem bernard DemaereAll Poetry

Mental Illness [a poem]

By Bernard Demaere | Featured Contributor


Everyone must still wonder
How it all happens
Mental illness, by and by
Slowly
Unexpectedly
It creeps in on you
It is a process
Of an unloved story.

It feels weird 
No one can help you
Because they don’t really know
You are the expert
If you know yourself
It is like drowning
Eternally
Losing your breath
To regain it just in time.

One minute or an hour
You are you and happy
The other
You are sad and irrational
But it is imprisoned in your thoughts
Nobody would recognize you
Or think you are the same person.

Eyebrows would be raised
In amazement
If they only knew
What is troubling you
What is troubling me?

Mental illness makes people wonder.

Bernard Demaere
Bernard Demaere

An author and poet born in Belgium, Bernard moved to Canada at the age of twenty and began writing poems soon after learning English. He is the author of Love Above All and has also published over 400 poems, including in the magazines Better than Starbucks and Peculiars.


If you would like your poetry to be considered for publication on PhoebeMD.com, visit here for information regarding submissions.


11 replies »

  1. Its great phoebe.. it really touched. I recently witnessed my sister-in-law struggle with mental issues. I could really understand her as I myself was in this sort of condition once. As I have just recently began this journey in blogging looking forward to learn more n more from such beautiful posts.

  2. Great Poem! True Definition Of Mental Illness. It’s Hard To Deal With Something Only You Can Felt But Can’t Describe To Another Yet You Know You Need Help.

We welcome you to share...