"Ophelia in London" ~ a poem by Janey Antoniou

Janey Antoniou was an incredible lady who did so much to raise awareness of mental health issues, in particular schizophrenia and she campaigned courageously against stigma. She achieved a great many things and made a huge difference to society's understanding and treatment of those with mental health problems, including the police.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBTTZaXXJ_4
She sadly died in 2010 but her legacy lives on and she is an inspiration to so many. In fact, there is an award named after her in recognition of special individuals who follow in her footsteps and make a difference through mental health campaigning:

http://www.rethink.org/about-us/janey-antoniou-award#.Ufp1pHOaC5s.twitter%20%E2%80%A6

She also wrote poetry and I would like to share this beautiful piece that is poignant, sensitive and candid. This poem won First Prize in the Martha Robinson poetry competition in 2006.

Ophelia in London

by Janey Antoniou.

 

You drift in white along the Embankment with restless hands and voice.
Whispering.
Footfall scrapes and echoes in the night silence, a shadow leaps to touch yours before passing. Another tortured soul
mutters and slinks in the yellow lampflare.
Your thoughts bend and race and slide in chaos, never meeting in coherence and fullstops. Will it be the river My Lady? The oily, silent Thames or the thundering rusty train wheels? The hospitals are full.
Wander, randomly turning, locked in the nightmare of your world, cruel voices, laughing teasing, mocking in your mind.
Ophelia, Ophelia walking in the back streets with weary, wide unfocused eyes. Singing and sad.
The drugs don't work, there are no beds. So in the end there only is the grass-green turf and stone.

A poster speaks a thousand words ~ Zahid Anwar

This next post demonstrates the use of artistic talent in fighting against the injustice of corruption, unfairness and malpractice.

I met Zahid Anwar on twitter:

https://twitter.com/ZedTrafficker 

He has created a series of powerful and detailed posters which disseminate strong messages and encompass a combination of images and text. They capture his story and negative experiences and express so much, with the use of colour, bold headlines and courageous honesty. Visually captivating, they echo clear stark messages that certainly prevail to show the determination and spirit of Zahid's cause. They manage to convey a great deal without being cluttered and this serves to make them desirable to the eye and intriguing to the mind. One feels compelled to learn about Zahid's story.  Zahid was an NHS Trust employee who became a whistleblower to expose the corruption, racism and unfair treatment he faced for his actions and the resulting negative consequences on his mental health.

These posters have not only given Zahid a means of communicating his trajectory, but also, as an outlet, they have helped him in coping with his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This points to the therapeutic benefits of art on mental health conditions.

Zahid has created a number of these posters and I have chosen a small selection to display on this blog so that we can appreciate and preserve their power and messages. However, please feel free to connect with Zahid through his twitter page or leave a message on this blog post if you would like to see more or find out more about his story.

 

  

"The twilight zone" ~ a poem by Jessica Rose

I think we can all relate to those isolating nights where it seems that we are all alone, abandoned with a daunting long night ahead. Jessica elicits the essence of such nights exceptionally well in this poem through four powerful verses. Her commentary on the poem can be found at the end of the post.

 

"The twilight zone"  by Jessica Rose

Late at night I ponder why,
morning always seems so shy
lonely is this silent zone,
the night and I all alone.

Creaks and cracks talk to me,   
tell me that i shouldn't be.
go to bed ,they seem to say,
Tomorrow is another day. 






Ticking clock,my only friend,
will this night never end?
it calls to me, my empty bed
Come and rest your weary head.




Stranger, so unfamiliar,show your face
so I can escape to another place.
Sleep why do you fight with me?
Reveal yourself and let me be.






    Jessica said

"When we can't sleep late at night it is so lonely and it feels wrong. If we live with others we have to think about disturbing them. Then the paranoia can come. Thoughts would run around my head -too poorly to even consider talking to Jesus. Then I discovered UCB radio and it now is my sleeping tablet. I fall asleep to it and my dreams have become sweet ones so I do not fear sleep like I once did."

Links to Jessica and her work: 

http://www.writers-network.com/index.cgi?m=1&do=profile&who=22186 

 https://twitter.com/JessicaanneRose 

http://smhart-minds.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/jessica-rose-dear-friend-gifted-poet.html

"Little girl" ~ a poem by Jessica Rose

This poem by Jessica Rose is truly something special ~ it captured my heart and mind from the moment I read it. Jessica provided her reflections on this poem, something which I have included at the end of the post.

"Little girl"  by Jessica Rose


Sorry, little girl, with big sad eyes,

Nobody to hear your cries,

lonely, little,lost and scared,

why for you no one cared?

For if you were mine,what could you be?

With all the loving received from me.

I would let your hair grow long

Hitting hairbrush would be gone.

Daily I would build your self esteem,

shelter you from all that's mean.

You shouldn't have been broken,

Oh for you I would have spoken!

Little,lonely girl come sit upon my knee,

For we have to fix,you and me.

I will embrace you in my arms,

cuddle away all the harms.

Know you're loved,meant to be here,

Precious girl,don't live in fear.

It is time to set us free,

little girl inside of me.






Jessica said

"I wrote this after prayer. The Lord told me that I as an adult would never be mean to a child. (I love children) He told me that I am his child and his little girl. Every time I am nasty to myself I am nasty to him. I had a horrid childhood and the little girl with brown eyes is me. I love her now and my life as improved. Even if people don't have faith they really need to be kind to themselves it is easier if we go back and remember our selves as the children we were. I have cried out to the Lord many times. "who am I" and he has answered I am His. There is a song on my twitter called Kid Heart by Todd Zero about getting back to our kid heart-  this helps us to remember who we are".

Links to Jessica and her work:

http://www.writers-network.com/index.cgi?m=1&do=profile&who=22186 

https://twitter.com/JessicaanneRose 

http://smhart-minds.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/jessica-rose-dear-friend-gifted-poet.html 

  

Jessica Rose ~ dear friend, gifted poet

 

 
Jessica Rose

  

It gives me great pleasure to share with you the beautiful poetry of my friend Jessica Rose. Jessica is a very special lady whose heart and soul is flowing with the love of Jesus ~ her faith helps her to see much beauty in all things and she delights in the many blessed gifts that we have bestowed upon us. Her collection is a treasure trove of soul-touching poetry, reflecting her life experiences. She has suffered from bipolar disorder in the past and has come through this and other parts of her life with much courage and a huge heart bursting with love and compassion. Her poems are written so clearly with the heart's contents as their ink ~ they reflect honesty and emotion whilst her wondrous weaving of words creates a strong net to capture the many complex facets of human life. It is one of the special and beautiful features of life  that we are able to connect and bond with special hearts, creative minds, and deep honest souls.

  

Jessica has kindly let me feature some of her poetry on my blog, the first of which is presented in the next blog post. I am so grateful to have Jessica as a friend and to have the honour of reading, engaging with, and sharing her gift. I know that you too will gain something wonderful from reading her creative pieces!

Jessica's full collection of poetry can be found on her website:

http://www.writers-network.com/index.cgi?m=1&do=profile&who=22186 

And as a wonderful lady who makes a special friend, I would encourage all you social networkers to connect with Jessica on her Twitter page ~ 

https://twitter.com/JessicaanneRose