I like to grow green things in my garden

Will somebody want to share my green fingers?

I will be happy to pick some green vegetables for you

So you can cook nice food for dinner

More determined than ever I can’t believe

I’ve found it at my leisure

It brings freedom and love and great pleasure

It will give me all I lost and more without measure

For where your heart is there is your treasure

As I open my treasure the gates open wide

Now in I run with a great stride

It’s my destiny I found my course

With healing and love from it’s great source

“What is your treasure? I hear you moan”

“I don’t know you must find your own”

“If it frees your heart and frees your mind

and you find yourself on higher ground”

YOUR TREASURE YOU HAVE FOUND!

Yeah it can be hard, tougher but heavy as lard

Sometimes keeps you in your yard

To the point I’m now physically scarred

But as I stood so tall to say

“There is a better way”

I began to see how this God given LIFE

Can positively benefit me

Like, learning and self-training to become an

Original Rhymer M.C.

Gradually this opened many doors

Of opportunity

My self-esteem grew greatly

To stand against paranoid schizophrenia

And perform to one day a whole arena

I destroy symptoms as I flow

Beautiful rhythms

This is worth the fight

Turn pain in to delight …

Every day new joys appear

As it’s my Father’s voice I hear

Which helps me through my healing

Smiles and happiness I’m feeling

I never thought I’d get this far

But I’ve finally stepped over that bar

That’s allowed me to move onwards

My whole recovery’s now going upwards

I pray each day and each night

I’m never going to give up this fight

One day I’ll be free

Something I never thought I’d see

Life has never been so great

No more of the things I hate

And with the help of the Father, Spirit and Son

I can finally say that I’ve moved on

Let me meander with your mind awhile my child,

celebrate this time, this time.

Here to stay your sun to shine,

with me and mine a sweet surprise.

All your colours call to me,

fascinating my realities,

instilling scenes within the scenes,

‘cause all we’re left we dream unseen.

Quietly unlock my doors,

and answer what we see inside.

Your silent roar beside me now

like mountain-tops within my mind,

Meandering……

Peter collects a handmade hardback book

He will be presented with this at the House of Lords on the 1st May 2013

Congratulations from all of us at !!

His work will feature in The Yellow Book going nationwide

Selected Poetry Entries for The Yellow Book please click the titles to view:

• I Feel Life – Ella Zellaby – Rochester Kent
• This World – Stephanie Rose – Bo’ness Scotland
• Lift Your Voice – David Holloway – Bedford
• Mirror – Saiqa Parveen – Halifax
• With Good Mental Health – Anne Broadbent – West Yorkshire
• Meandering – Peter McGrath – Essex
• Senses – Jade Tullet – Berkshire
• The Wren – Ian Curtress – Cheltenham
• Recovery – Lesley Burt – Dorset
• A Home in my Head – Karen Mason – Surrey
• Freedom is Ours – Gemma Rose – East Sussex
• Beauty – Debee Ebeneezer – Nottingham
• It is Ok – Suzanne Bate – Liverpool
• Happiness is Gratitude – Lisa Barry – Rhondda Cynon Taft
• I’ve Changed – Louise Gillett – Christchurch Dorset
• Sunny Side Up – Karim Harvey – London
• Proud to be me – Denise Claxton – Essex
• Daylight after Rain – John Campbell – London
• I Can See The Colour and I Can Feel The Sun – Elizabeth Aldous – Luton
• Free To Be Me – Diana Hayes – Abergavenny
• Bus Journey – Safoora Masood – Halifax
• There Once Was a Young Girl From Wales – Katy Young – Flintshire
• See the Flowers Beneath Your Feet – Anonymous
• I Know – Kauser Parveen – Halifax

Congratulations from all of us at !!

With good mental health
I have purpose and direction
decentment
good concentration
my needs are met
nourishment and affection
aroof over my head
Companionship, home
mental stimulation
&  I’m working towards
an even better
Future, honourable employment
yes a goodjob now
AND not incarceration

With positive mental health, I don’t depend on slogans and ‘prescriptions, ‘

Or let myself be limited by negative projections and descriptions.

With positive mental health, I can show my ability and my vulnerability,

I can become more fully human, knowing that ‘joy and woe are woven fine.’

I can learn that patient waiting and creative reflection are just as important

as immediate success and constant striving.

I can devote myself to ‘living’ instead of just surviving.

POETRY AND TIME

Poetry can reveal

Depth in time,

The co-existence

Of past, present and future,

The moment of unity

And wholeness of Being.

Such poems are a celebration

Of the dance of creation.

Given fleeting form in the speaking,

They slip away into the night,

Defying immediate analysis

In favour of relationship –

Revealing hidden connections.

Old familiar words take on

New form and resonance,

Like old familiar rocks

That erode and blow as

Shifting sand into the desert.

Poetry is the time-lapse

Photography of the soul,

It relates the fragment

To the Whole

Tony Devaney

With Good Mental Health I have space and slience, space to speak my truth:

My mind, now ordered in a common form,

I savour, simplified, a life mundane

Of clarity, perceived within the norm-

A fitness, fitting here, within the frame.

Observing pattern in the common race

I grasp, with gentle hand, its fractal light-

Not forcing, easing gently to my place,

I find myself at home with calm delight.

This early, springtime lightfall dearly won,

Illuminates a placement safe within,

As young leaves, budding in the morning sun

A place among the branching patterns win.

I would such freshness, as I here have found,

Could be forever held in mind, now sound.

I’ve Changed

(A song on the theme: ‘With good mental health, I have’)

I’ve changed

Again

I’ve come in out of the rain

And I feel fine

Again

I was lonely, I was sad

Did not consider that I could

Evade the pain

But now I’ve changed again

And I am glad

I’m here

Again

I’ve understood that life is good

Again

I’m learning to appreciate again

And it’s not bad

There’s hope

Again

I’m learning to communicate again

And it’s all good

Sing my refrain…

I’ve changed

Again

And it’s all good again

I’m learning to appreciate…

I’m glad

Oh yes, I’m glad again.

Louise collects a handmade hardback book

She will be presented with this at the House of Lords on the 1st May 2013

Congratulations from all of us at !!

Her work will feature in The Yellow Book going nationwide

Selected Poetry Entries for The Yellow Book please click the titles to view:

• I Feel Life – Ella Zellaby – Rochester Kent
• This World – Stephanie Rose – Bo’ness Scotland
• Lift Your Voice – David Holloway – Bedford
• Mirror – Saiqa Parveen – Halifax
• With Good Mental Health – Anne Broadbent – West Yorkshire
• Meandering – Peter McGrath – Essex
• Senses – Jade Tullet – Berkshire
• The Wren – Ian Curtress – Cheltenham
• Recovery – Lesley Burt – Dorset
• A Home in my Head – Karen Mason – Surrey
• Freedom is Ours – Gemma Rose – East Sussex
• Beauty – Debee Ebeneezer – Nottingham
• It is Ok – Suzanne Bate – Liverpool
• Happiness is Gratitude – Lisa Barry – Rhondda Cynon Taft
• I’ve Changed – Louise Gillett – Christchurch Dorset
• Sunny Side Up – Karim Harvey – London
• Proud to be me – Denise Claxton – Essex
• Daylight after Rain – John Campbell – London
• I Can See The Colour and I Can Feel The Sun – Elizabeth Aldous – Luton
• Free To Be Me – Diana Hayes – Abergavenny
• Bus Journey – Safoora Masood – Halifax
• There Once Was a Young Girl From Wales – Katy Young – Flintshire
• See the Flowers Beneath Your Feet – Anonymous
• I Know – Kauser Parveen – Halifax

Congratulations from all of us at !!

With good mental health,

I see the light

I look all around

And all is bright.

With good mental health,

I feel fit and ready

I can go out and be active

Work keeps me steady.

With good mental health,

I show my love

I can express to others

All I’ve been thinking of.

With good mental health,

I seize the day

I look all around me

And everything’s okay.

MOVING ON, SINGING A SONG.

She read one of her poems on TV.

For all the world to hear and see.

She also spoke softly of all her pain,

To show all the world what she had gained.

To the magazines she told her story,

To show the world, the before, the after, then the glory.

On the radio she told what it was like,

She told the world while she held the mike.

For ten whole years she answered letters from far and near,

From others who also had the fear.

Then one day she just gave it all up, and said no more.

AGORAPHOBIA, you won’t come back to my door,

It’s time to put you in the past where you belong.

While she goes off to sing a song,

At little Ps, the Methodists or J.A.M.

Singing nursery rhymes, just being NAN,

And maybe in her spare time,

She will still write the occasional rhyme.

I pray to god night and day

To guild me the right way

The strength I need to be-

Strong and believe in myself

To have good positive mental health

To be happy and joyful within

To live a life with out any sin

But sometimes he can be forgotten

When I’ve hit rock bottom

My life has had its ups and downs

But with good mental health-

I’ve turned my life around

I’ve travelled though depths of hell

I wonder if you can even tell

Because theses days my mental health is stable

And now I’m able- to stand up tall

What was once big is now small

No matter what life brings me now

I can face it some how

No bad voices harming me

Living life without worry

Quite happy and freely

With good mental health-

I can face each day with glee!

Queen bees quiver, skylarks sing,

Slowworms slither, cowbells ring,

Babies gurgle, children laugh

At the first made bleat of a precious calf.

With good mental health I hear

Spring’s vibrations in my ear.

Greenfly graze and locusts leap,

Lizards laze, spiders creep,

Bunnies lollop, farmhands banter,

March hares hop and ponies canter

In wildflower fields where monkey orchids grow,

The faithful wind their seeds did sow.

With good mental health I see

Boundless blessings life has given me.

The breeze blows, sun radiates,

Upon the lake a water boatman skates.

A hungry otter licks his lips

As a fantail darter flips,

A heron scales overhead,

Trepidly the terrapins tread.

With good mental health I have found

Life breaking through the ground.

Snow melts and freezes thaw,

Raw wounds heal and hurt no more.

Dark clouds eventually give way to sun,

Through new eyes downpours can be fun.

With good mental health I know

Through the tough times I will grow.

Over mountains and valleys I climb,

Discovering beauty so sublime,

Running fast and breaking free

From incessant worries that were haunting me.

Feeling that fortuitous state of flow,

Moving forward, on I go.

With good mental health I find

A healthy body and sound mind.

A squall erupts and thunder rumbles by,

Lightening illuminates the sky.

The heavens open, puddles form,

Peacocks parade a rain dance on the lawn.

Water worms wiggle in the streams,

Out of frogspawn new life teams.

Sanderlings saunter, crows caw,

On the thermals seagulls soar.

With good mental health I lift my eyes

Marvelling at majestic ever changing skies.

Reflecting a world of beauty, the lake is a mirror,

And in its glistening surface I see

The meaning of a life: fruitful and free.

The crystal water, clarity of mind and soul,

Ripples as a row boat glides through.

Soon settling again to natural order

Where change is positive. Restorative.

The landscape’s mirror image,

Implanted brightly as the sun bursts forth,

Brings perfection in reflection. Balanced;

Free from distortion. Tranquillity.

Beneath the surface, the living world blossoms.

Interconnected, it thrives with darkness and light;

A place for everything; justified juxtaposition

Emitting calmness from chaos. Peace.

Around the lake, people and businesses hum

Their reassured rhythm of everyday life, as

Maximising value of simple things

They weave webs, roots, connections. Stability.

Reflecting a world of beauty, the lake is a mirror,

And in its glistening surface I see

The meaning of a life: fruitful and free.

Thank You

How do you thank someone for giving you twenty-five years of extra life

Yes twenty-five years extra, Of being a Mother, Nanny and Wife.

How do you thank someone for being there for you

When you were so ill, you didn’t know what to do.

You thank them by, now being the person you want to be

And showing the world on live TV.

You thank them by doing all the things you never got the chance to do before.

When you couldn’t even venture out the door.

You thank them by living your life in the fast lane again

Now you are free of the nightmare, free of the pain.

You thank them by shopping at a packed Sheffield Meadow hall

A couple of weeks before Christmas, you are having a ball

You thank them by going to see your favourite singer Cliff

You sit there with 12,000 people just to do this.

You thank them by running a helpline for others

Meeting fantastic people along the way

You thank them by living your life day by day

You thank them by just being you,

You thank them in everything that you do.

No more grey mornings even when its winter and the sky is dull,

I can see the colours of the trees, I can now admire the beauty of the leaves,

people smile and say good morning , I can smile and greet them back,

NO more dread ,no more darkness , no amount of money can buy me this feeling

the simple things ,a cup of coffee ,a walk with my dog and laughter with old friends,

the things I had feared I have lost had never gone away, just hidden.

But best of all once again

I can feel the sun .

Elizabeth collects a handmade hardback book

She will be presented with this at the House of Lords on the 1st May 2013

Congratulations from all of us at !!

Her work will feature in The Yellow Book going nationwide

Elizabeth’s photograph was also selected to appear in The Yellow Book by the art assessors

Please click the image below:

Selected Poetry Entries for The Yellow Book please click the titles to view:

• I Feel Life – Ella Zellaby – Rochester Kent
• This World – Stephanie Rose – Bo’ness Scotland
• Lift Your Voice – David Holloway – Bedford
• Mirror – Saiqa Parveen – Halifax
• With Good Mental Health – Anne Broadbent – West Yorkshire
• Meandering – Peter McGrath – Essex
• Senses – Jade Tullet – Berkshire
• The Wren – Ian Curtress – Cheltenham
• Recovery – Lesley Burt – Dorset
• A Home in my Head – Karen Mason – Surrey
• Freedom is Ours – Gemma Rose – East Sussex
• Beauty – Debee Ebeneezer – Nottingham
• It is Ok – Suzanne Bate – Liverpool
• Happiness is Gratitude – Lisa Barry – Rhondda Cynon Taft
• I’ve Changed – Louise Gillett – Christchurch Dorset
• Sunny Side Up – Karim Harvey – London
• Proud to be me – Denise Claxton – Essex
• Daylight after Rain – John Campbell – London
• I Can See The Colour and I Can Feel The Sun – Elizabeth Aldous – Luton
• Free To Be Me – Diana Hayes – Abergavenny
• Bus Journey – Safoora Masood – Halifax
• There Once Was a Young Girl From Wales – Katy Young – Flintshire
• See the Flowers Beneath Your Feet – Anonymous
• I Know – Kauser Parveen – Halifax

Congratulations from all of us at !!

by Ella Zellaby

I feel life

Firing up my senses,

Scintillating my skin,

Tickling my toes,

Tingling my tongue,

Tantalisingly close.

Falling stars are caught and suns are born;

Suns that rise, and set, then rise again.

Gravity pulls the tides and waves crash down on the shore.

The moon spins on her axis knowingly;

All is well.

Everything is exactly as it should be.

Life takes place all by itself

And I am

Both spectator and actor

Creating the circumstances I need to achieve and thrive;

I am truly alive.

Clean air blasting through my lungs,

Blood pulsing through my veins,

A clear head and crystal vista,

Creativity oozing through my skin,

Serene acceptance within.

Epithanic excitement, exhilaration, expectation,

Faith, prosperity, a future

Filled with wonderment and friendships

To last a lifetime.

I see visions,

Horizons expanding far beyond tomorrow;

A glorious hope calls out my name.

Reveries exponentially unravelling,

Ambitions unfurling at my feet,

Possibilities I can reach out and clasp,

Ideas I can run with and take off.

Earth, now solid, beneath my feet,

Starting tasks I know I can complete

Life’s long journey

Step by step.

Calmness, contentment,

Tiredness, that fulfilment and fresh air brings.

A warm home to return to,

Love to swaddle me in,

Arms to coddle me tight,

Someone fabulous to kiss me goodnight,

Dreams coloured in delight.

Mindfully I embrace myself,

Aware that everything is as it should be,

For with good mental health

Life is very beautiful

Now I am free.

Ella collects an iPad and a handmade hardback book

She will be presented with these at the House of Lords on the 1st May 2013

Congratulations from all of us at !!

Her work will feature in the book going nationwide

Her poem will be developed in to the lyrics for the Rubie Colt single release

We would like to say a huge thank you to Carers’ Action for generously donating the iPad prize

Selected Poetry Entries for The Yellow Book please click the titles to view:

• I Feel Life – Ella Zellaby – Rochester Kent
• This World – Stephanie Rose – Bo’ness Scotland
• Lift Your Voice – David Holloway – Bedford
• Mirror – Saiqa Parveen – Halifax
• With Good Mental Health – Anne Broadbent – West Yorkshire
• Meandering – Peter McGrath – Essex
• Senses – Jade Tullet – Berkshire
• The Wren – Ian Curtress – Cheltenham
• Recovery – Lesley Burt – Dorset
• A Home in my Head – Karen Mason – Surrey
• Freedom is Ours – Gemma Rose – East Sussex
• Beauty – Debee Ebeneezer – Nottingham
• It is Ok – Suzanne Bate – Liverpool
• Happiness is Gratitude – Lisa Barry – Rhondda Cynon Taft
• I’ve Changed – Louise Gillett – Christchurch Dorset
• Sunny Side Up – Karim Harvey – London
• Proud to be me – Denise Claxton – Essex
• Daylight after Rain – John Campbell – London
• I Can See The Colour and I Can Feel The Sun – Elizabeth Aldous – Luton
• Free To Be Me – Diana Hayes – Abergavenny
• Bus Journey – Safoora Masood – Halifax
• There Once Was a Young Girl From Wales – Katy Young – Flintshire
• See the Flowers Beneath Your Feet – Anonymous
• I Know – Kauser Parveen – Halifax

Congratulations from all of us at !!

Negativity around me eats at my brain

People complaining about money, war, politics even the rain.

If they could just open their eyes and see what I see

The world around as glorious as can be.

Reflect for a moment to sit and take in

How everything surrounds us has beauty within.

There’s only one way to beat the blues

Is to look out for positivity in all of it’s hues and not to get stressed after reading the news!

With good mental health i have heart

that when i see red

all hope has not fled

when the path is rocky

and the positives hard to see

there is another train of thought

like strong foundations it will support

through times of struggle and difficulty

it gives me strength and a chance to see

a fresh perspective, a different way

to find special moments in any day.

With good mental health

new world opens up to me

and I am content.

With good mental health

I am no longer afraid to tell you who I am.

Even if you don’t like me

I am free to be me.

Diana collects a handmade hardback book

She will be presented with this at the House of Lords on the 1st May 2013

Congratulations from all of us at !!

Her work will feature in The Yellow Book going nationwide

Selected Poetry Entries for The Yellow Book please click the titles to view:

• I Feel Life – Ella Zellaby – Rochester Kent
• This World – Stephanie Rose – Bo’ness Scotland
• Lift Your Voice – David Holloway – Bedford
• Mirror – Saiqa Parveen – Halifax
• With Good Mental Health – Anne Broadbent – West Yorkshire
• Meandering – Peter McGrath – Essex
• Senses – Jade Tullet – Berkshire
• The Wren – Ian Curtress – Cheltenham
• Recovery – Lesley Burt – Dorset
• A Home in my Head – Karen Mason – Surrey
• Freedom is Ours – Gemma Rose – East Sussex
• Beauty – Debee Ebeneezer – Nottingham
• It is Ok – Suzanne Bate – Liverpool
• Happiness is Gratitude – Lisa Barry – Rhondda Cynon Taft
• I’ve Changed – Louise Gillett – Christchurch Dorset
• Sunny Side Up – Karim Harvey – London
• Proud to be me – Denise Claxton – Essex
• Daylight after Rain – John Campbell – London
• I Can See The Colour and I Can Feel The Sun – Elizabeth Aldous – Luton
• Free To Be Me – Diana Hayes – Abergavenny
• Bus Journey – Safoora Masood – Halifax
• There Once Was a Young Girl From Wales – Katy Young – Flintshire
• See the Flowers Beneath Your Feet – Anonymous
• I Know – Kauser Parveen – Halifax

Congratulations from all of us at !!

WHY ME ?

OH WHY ME ?

WHY DID IT HAPPEN TO ME ?

IT WASN’T WHAT I EXPECTED, IT WASNT WHAT THEY EXPECTED EITHER,

MIND YOU WITH GOOD MENTAL HEALTH NOW I CAN SAY IN A STRANGE WAY I AM GLAD IT HAPPENED TO ME

WITHOUT THE DARK I WOULD NOT ADORE THE LIGHT

WITHOUT THE PAIN I WOULD NOT ENJOY THE PEACE

WITHOUT THE RAIN I WOULD NOT LOVE THE SUN

GUESS IN A WAY IT WAS ME , IS ME ,WILL ALWAYS BE ME.

I dont know why
I’d never seen it before
As the morning sunlight
crept under the door

I watched as it shimmered
and danced in the room
flooding the spaces
erasing the gloom

the light was enchanting
its embrace was so warm
tingling my spine
like a magnetic storm

holding me tighly
in mystical bliss
warming my cheeks
with a dazzling kiss

I sat and I watched
as the golden delight
painted the walls
in a magical light

Until it had filled
every space it could find
my body my soul
my heart in combined

I dont know why
I’d never seen it before
As the morning sunlight
crept under the door

I’d have the strength to say hello
to smile at passers by
No need to hang my head in woe
No need to feel so shy

Id have the energy to dance
I’d laugh and sing all day
And if I caught you watching me
I’d do it anyway

I’d visit all my family
Invite them round for tea
And that dragging feeling
It won’t come and bother me

My children would be happy
as we run around the place
and they wouldnt have to see
the sadness on my face

I’d like to do the simplest task
Like chatting with a friend
someone who will lend an ear
and also comprehend

But most off all the thing i’d do
Is feel alive and free
and i’d tell myself each day
I’m happy to be me.

With good mental health i have my senses awoken

My eyes can see the beauty around me

The sun, the moon and the stars

The snow, the fog and the rain

I can see my journey through life.

My ears can hear the beauty around me

The tweet of a bird, the bark of a dog

The happy singing of childrens voices

I can hear my journey through life

My nose can smell the beauty around me

The sweet smell of flowers and newly mown grass

The smell of fresh bread straight from the oven

I can smell my journey through life

My mouth can taste the beauty around me

The taste of sugar, spice and things that are nice

The taste of white chocolate all molten and warm

I can taste my journey through life

My skin can feel the beauty around me

The touch of  ‘My Ruby’ and the kisses she gives me

The hug from a friend just saying ‘Hello’

I can feel my journey through life

With good mental health my senses are awoken

With good mental health i have

an active mind

a body that feels re-charged

the chance to live my life and

take my place in the world

my mind is FREE

i can be ME.

With good mental health I have the feeling of being alive

peace of mind to be free

happines and positivity

freedom and calmness relaxation and no stress

all these things are key

to great positive mentality

Standing alone, standing still,

Find the moment I am in,

Breath deeply, close my eyes,

Find the gratitude within.

The wind blows upon my face,

The trees sway to and fro,

The leaves play around my feet,

Dancing  hiigh and  low.

I will not let the darkness,

Start to creep up my spine,

I am in control,

This peace is all mine

The secret I now know,

Is to find positives in life,

My world is full of beauty,

Opportunity not strife.

I am  so very blessed,

Love, shelter, water, food,

I understand the universe,

Happiness is gratitude.

Lisa collects a handmade hardback book

She will be presented with this at the House of Lords on the 1st May 2013

Congratulations from all of us at !!

Her work will feature in The Yellow Book going nationwide

Selected Poetry Entries for The Yellow Book please click the titles to view:

• I Feel Life – Ella Zellaby – Rochester Kent
• This World – Stephanie Rose – Bo’ness Scotland
• Lift Your Voice – David Holloway – Bedford
• Mirror – Saiqa Parveen – Halifax
• With Good Mental Health – Anne Broadbent – West Yorkshire
• Meandering – Peter McGrath – Essex
• Senses – Jade Tullet – Berkshire
• The Wren – Ian Curtress – Cheltenham
• Recovery – Lesley Burt – Dorset
• A Home in my Head – Karen Mason – Surrey
• Freedom is Ours – Gemma Rose – East Sussex
• Beauty – Debee Ebeneezer – Nottingham
• It is Ok – Suzanne Bate – Liverpool
• Happiness is Gratitude – Lisa Barry – Rhondda Cynon Taft
• I’ve Changed – Louise Gillett – Christchurch Dorset
• Sunny Side Up – Karim Harvey – London
• Proud to be me – Denise Claxton – Essex
• Daylight after Rain – John Campbell – London
• I Can See The Colour and I Can Feel The Sun – Elizabeth Aldous – Luton
• Free To Be Me – Diana Hayes – Abergavenny
• Bus Journey – Safoora Masood – Halifax
• There Once Was a Young Girl From Wales – Katy Young – Flintshire
• See the Flowers Beneath Your Feet – Anonymous
• I Know – Kauser Parveen – Halifax

Congratulations from all of us at !!

The scene: a serene lake

Shining with energy bursting,

Bright and beautiful and believing.

And on the lake I lay,

Allowing the glow of nature,

To crown me majesty.

I float freely with the calm,

Floating weightlessly; floating aimlessly,

No worries, no shackles holding me.

I am free to fly, I am free to cry

In awe and amazement

At the warmth of the world,

That surrounds me, loves me,

And allows the freedom to surge,

Allows me to just be:

No title, no expectations daunting.

I am nature’s child. I am me.

And when the sun hides

And the moon haunts,

The water hushes and shushes,

Humming me to peaceful sleep.

With Good Mental Health I have….                    Geraldine Walsh-Whiteside

With good mental health I have

Turned my baby step into a longer stride

I now know better than to run and hide

I jump and I seek, no more am I meek.

With good mental health I have

Gained new insight into me,

 Now everything’s not a catastrophe

All things are possible, I truly believe,

I no longer sit alone and grieve.

With good mental health I have

Been able to meet and have a laugh

Or take sheer delight in a bubbly bath

I now sing and I dance

And don’t walk around in a trance.

With good mental health I have

Turned my fight into a cause

Only to reflect do I sit or pause

With help and support

We can all be re-taught.

With good mental health I have

Recaptured and re-invented my world

Who knew how this story would have unfurled

How I re-entered your life anew

The journey maybe long but it’s worth it too!

In Good and Bad Mental Health

In good mental health my poet’s heart sings

In bad mental health my hands just wring

In good mental health I smile and create

In bad mental health I scowl and I hate

In good mental health I fly and I soar

In bad mental health I fear I’m a bore

In good mental health I will face the task

In bad mental health I will wear a mask

In good mental health I have capability

In bad mental health I have disability

In good mental health I think I’m a writer

In bad mental health I am a prize-fighter

In good mental health I have credibility

In bad mental health I have durability

My mental health is good today

For me to share and show the way!

I woke up on a morning bright

With snow laden trees gleeming bright

The silence, silence everywhere

But church bells rang out loud and clear

Across snow crowned trees

And frosty grass but n’er a bee

The snowdrops push their way up high

To greet the day and reach the sky

What better start to a day

Than thinking of your God to pray

For peace on Earth and Love for all

Life calls to me, and I recall

All the majesty of Life

Of living life without  strife

Oh, praise the Peace and Silence too

This is life beckoning you anew.

I am not bound by calculation, order or reserve,

I am free to be chaotic, inspired and reckless.

I am not controlled by order, discipline or symmetry,

I am free to be spontaneous, impulsive and embarrassed.

I am not afraid of freedom, thought or intrusions,

I am strong,

I can heal,

I am free.

Being with good mental health, for me, is really very hard to explain
Without people understanding what bad mental health is like.
It’s not just about being happy, there’s more to it than that.

Good mental health is the absence of all those destructive thoughts
That make you think your every move is being watched;
That make you avoid going out in the fear that you will be judged.
It’s having the courage to drag yourself out of bed in the morning
To go get that bottle of milk that you have needed for 3 days,
But couldn’t.

It’s being able to talk to your family without getting angry,
Simply because they asked you if you were going out to see friends later.
Having good mental health is realising what and, most importantly, who
Is good for you, and having the sense to stay away from what’s bad.
It’s taking back the control you had misplaced and taking responsibility
For yourself.

Once it is within your grasp, you regain your clarity of mind
And you can finally start to work out what it is that YOU want to do.
You can work out what YOU truly believe and you can stand for it.
It’s accepting that you’re different and using that to your advantage;
That you ARE interesting and that you DO have something
Important to say.

Going from bad mental health to good mental health is rising like a phoenix – wait, no.
It’s like Athena rising, fully grown, with a new divine wisdom;
Armed and ready to fight anything that may stand in your way.

Hear that swish of a tail,

The buzz of a bee,

The post of the mail,

The sound of the sea,
Taste the salt in the rain,

The icing of cake,

The new harvested grain,

The chocolate milkshake,

See the birds in the sky,

The frost on the leaves,

The rivers running by,

The gently swaying trees,

Smell the freshly cut grass,

The seaweed on rocks,

The newly polished brass,

The den of a fox,

Feel that touch of a hand,

The kiss on a cheek,

The smoothness of the sand,

The mud under feet,

You are all these senses,

All that you do find,

Past, present, future tenses,

All part of your mind.

Jade collects a handmade hardback book

She will be presented with this at the House of Lords on the 1st May 2013

Congratulations from all of us at !!

Her work will feature in The Yellow Book going nationwide

Selected Poetry Entries for The Yellow Book please click the titles to view:

• I Feel Life – Ella Zellaby – Rochester Kent
• This World – Stephanie Rose – Bo’ness Scotland
• Lift Your Voice – David Holloway – Bedford
• Mirror – Saiqa Parveen – Halifax
• With Good Mental Health – Anne Broadbent – West Yorkshire
• Meandering – Peter McGrath – Essex
• Senses – Jade Tullet – Berkshire
• The Wren – Ian Curtress – Cheltenham
• Recovery – Lesley Burt – Dorset
• A Home in my Head – Karen Mason – Surrey
• Freedom is Ours – Gemma Rose – East Sussex
• Beauty – Debee Ebeneezer – Nottingham
• It is Ok – Suzanne Bate – Liverpool
• Happiness is Gratitude – Lisa Barry – Rhondda Cynon Taft
• I’ve Changed – Louise Gillett – Christchurch Dorset
• Sunny Side Up – Karim Harvey – London
• Proud to be me – Denise Claxton – Essex
• Daylight after Rain – John Campbell – London
• I Can See The Colour and I Can Feel The Sun – Elizabeth Aldous – Luton
• Free To Be Me – Diana Hayes – Abergavenny
• Bus Journey – Safoora Masood – Halifax
• There Once Was a Young Girl From Wales – Katy Young – Flintshire
• See the Flowers Beneath Your Feet – Anonymous
• I Know – Kauser Parveen – Halifax

Congratulations from all of us at !!

They called me ‘mental’, ‘mad’ and ‘trippy’

but they didn’t care to see 

to push past their own perceptions and learn about what was bothering me.

Never making the grade, never conforming to normality

I once considered it a curse

now I relise I am free.

I think and I feel

I experience pain

I reflect on my being through its joys and it shame.

I know myself through and through and

in this knowladge comes truth.

Never think your mad, never think your bad

never think your nothing

forgive yourself when you’re sad.

You feel therefore you live

You breathe therefore you are

A universe in a dream

Within dark forests you are a star. 

Mirror

I looked in the mirror for the first time
In years
I surveyed my face
Aged, tired, still supple
Every wrinkle told a story
I picked the jar of cream up
Read the label
Opened it
Applied the cream to my face
Carefully
First time
In years
I liked what I saw
I liked what I felt
I felt me again
I felt good

Saiqa collects an iPad and a handmade hardback book

She will be presented with these at the House of Lords on the 1st May 2013

Congratulations from all of us at !!

Her work will feature in the book going nationwide

Her poem will be recorded in spoken word to create the B-side to the refuge single release

We would like to say a huge thank you to Advance for generously donating the iPad prize

Selected Poetry Entries for The Yellow Book please click the titles to view:

• I Feel Life – Ella Zellaby – Rochester Kent
• This World – Stephanie Rose – Bo’ness Scotland
• Lift Your Voice – David Holloway – Bedford
• Mirror – Saiqa Parveen – Halifax
• With Good Mental Health – Anne Broadbent – West Yorkshire
• Meandering – Peter McGrath – Essex
• Senses – Jade Tullet – Berkshire
• The Wren – Ian Curtress – Cheltenham
• Recovery – Lesley Burt – Dorset
• A Home in my Head – Karen Mason – Surrey
• Freedom is Ours – Gemma Rose – East Sussex
• Beauty – Debee Ebeneezer – Nottingham
• It is Ok – Suzanne Bate – Liverpool
• Happiness is Gratitude – Lisa Barry – Rhondda Cynon Taft
• I’ve Changed – Louise Gillett – Christchurch Dorset
• Sunny Side Up – Karim Harvey – London
• Proud to be me – Denise Claxton – Essex
• Daylight after Rain – John Campbell – London
• I Can See The Colour and I Can Feel The Sun – Elizabeth Aldous – Luton
• Free To Be Me – Diana Hayes – Abergavenny
• Bus Journey – Safoora Masood – Halifax
• There Once Was a Young Girl From Wales – Katy Young – Flintshire
• See the Flowers Beneath Your Feet – Anonymous
• I Know – Kauser Parveen – Halifax

Congratulations from all of us at !!

When I am well
 
 
 
When I am well
I engage in life
When I am well
I comply with medication
When I am well
I get out of bed
When I am well
I eat better
When I am well
I sleep better
When I am well
I embrace life
When I am well
I am at peace with the world
 
 

 With good mental health I have….

‘To admit defeat,’ says the demon of depression,

‘I lived inside your body for so long,

You’d even forgotten that there was a real YOU underneath it all,

As long as you believed the lie I told, you thought YOU were a failure,

You were convinced YOU would never be good enough,

You felt YOU could never get out of the deep pit you were in’

And, you kept feeding me with more and more YOURSELF

Even your small setbacks seemed to be replayed inside your head a million times,

Till they felt like the biggest catastrophes,

You lost confidence in YOURSELF,

I made you believe that – that’s my job

The demon who feeds on human happiness.

You were wearing my glasses…

The kind that only let you see the rain and not the rainbow through it….

And, then, one day YOU made a choice to change

YOU started to attend therapy sessions,

Started to look for a place to anchor

Your faith, your long imprisoned talents,

I knew then that I was fighting a losing battle….

To my ‘You are not good enough’

YOU soon learnt the truth

YOU are good enough-

Good enough to be called

A caring friend, a helpful neighbour

A good human being….

The day you turned around and told me

There would be the rain…

But the important thing was to focus on the rainbow,

You had discovered the truth-

YOU had been put on earth for a purpose

YOU looked upward to renew your faith

YOU looked sideward to connect with old friends

YOU looked outward for a new hobby, a new job

YOU looked downward to encourage someone still in the depths of despair

YOU looked inward to find the real YOU.

I knew then you were on your road to recovery-

to having good mental health…

And, I knew that I couldn’t feed off you anymore…