There once was a young girl from Wales

Who had the wind knocked from her sails

She battled with wit

Refusing to quit

And now it is her that prevails!

She uses her humour to aid

All those who are starting to fade

From sadness and woes

And all inner foes

So that they’re no longer afraid.

With good mental health she has glee

And shares it with others for free

As she fully knows

About what the lows

Can do when you feel all at sea.

You’ll know who this young Welsh girl is

It wasn’t that hard of a quiz!

And with unique style

I’ve made others smile

Though I’m not a comedy-whiz!

My new plan in life is to write

And show others how they can fight

Their illness and pain

Until they can gain

A life that is joyful and bright!

So now that my life has a goal

I am the one who’s in control!

And so as I end

I wholly intend

To always stay mentally whole!

Katy 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 !!

I breathe in the beauty of a summer breeze,

watch the sun catch diamonds in rustling leaves;

feel strong in body and frame of mind,

relish the laughter lightening my life.

And if worries lean on me when I wake,

I know I can cope, that I’ll be okay;

with good mental health I have

trust in others and belief in myself.

I look forward to what

each day has in store

and feel blessed to have

all these things … and more.

Anne Broadbent

Anne 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 have…

Clarity of mind

A deep insight

Feeling fine

My path is set out

As clear as can be

The clouds disappear

And I can finally see

Doubts are not disabling

Fear goes away

I wake up with joy

Eager to greet each day

With good mental health

I have a feeling of calm

I know I will succeed

I know I will not harm

Myself and those I love.

With good mental health

The world is full

Of achievable dreams

Of magnificent schemes

That will benefit me

 And everyone.

© Anne-Teresa Michaels, 2013-01-16

Love is such a powerful gift
That can start with a smile
A hug or a kiss
Its a bonding and trust
Of compassion and care
That is deep in the heart
Of two people that share

Its to think or be thought of
Give help never short of
Sometimes a surprise
Always truth and no lies

Like a magical dream
somewhere great we have been
Very hard to describe
Try to show and not hide

To live or to die for
Try see eye to eye for
Be happy or cry for
And more and much more

The one thing we all need
To be strong and proceed
The more love that we give
The more love we recieve xxxx

By richard bennett

With good mental health I have……….

Colour in my world

Feeling in my body

A spring in my step

A twinkle in my eye

 A future I can see

Dreams I can reach

A person I can be…

I have hope in my heart

With good mental health I have peace, not strife.

I’m happy for once in my life!

My mind’s a safe haven that’s void of pain

And still I have lots more to gain!

Some years ago I was fearful inside

Regardless of how hard I tried

And so I sought help and then I gained ground.

Just look at the peace I have found!

Many good changes, where should I begin?

I have these new feelings within!

Rarely do I stress, I can relax now.

I’m happy, serene and here’s how:

I spoke to the doctor telling her all.

She listened; It didn’t appall.

I got further help but waited a while 

And afterwards I can now smile!

I’m much stronger now but not perfect yet!

But this doesn’t cause me to fret

Because who is perfect? I’m know I’m not!

Instead I’m content with my lot.

Skills I have learned make me braver each day

And though there’ll be toil on the way

I’m ready for battles! Ready for war!

Bring it on! I’ll settle the score!

I try helping others to help me too.

Together, we’ll all make it through

And as a result, I now have a goal

To help others make themselves whole.

So if you need help your first step should be

To visit your doctor or see

What other support can help you nearby

Until you can lift your head high!

No matter how awful you feel inside

Or how much support you have tried

You’re not beyond help, no one is, it’s true

All darkness can be broken through.

I broke through darkness and now I convey

Ways to fight your illness away.

I only do this through good mental health

So join me with great mental wealth!

It is ok

to have a bad day

to feel sad and down

and want to cry and frown

It is ok

to have a good day

to be happy and bright

from morning until night

It is ok

to have a mixed day

to have mixed moods and feelings

just to get through your dealings

It is ok

to live every day

from January to December

you are important remember

It is ok

whatever the day

be kind to yourself

and look after your mental health

It will be ok

Suzanne 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 have,

Everything.

The sun can shine at night.

Dreams are free to chase the days

And days are free to chase the dream.

No longer fearful but fearless.

Silence is a blanket I rest easy in. No more will I kick off the sheets;

Anything to make a noise,

Anything to be heard.

‘Alone’ is a lonely island, on which I no longer live.

My horizon grew bigger, the view stretches wider than I could ever have hoped.

With good mental health I have found all of these things and more.

I have found you.

I have found me.

I am beginning to love myself

I am beginning to like myself

Accepting my flaws

Acknowledge my faults

To look around

To see that I am not alone

To reach out

For help

Instead of living in the shadows

On a good day, i dont ask for perfection.

I dont ask for emotional balance or the patience to deal with my problems.

On a good day, i dont ask for the support of my familiy.

I don’t ask for the compassion and understanding of others, and I dont try to fit in.

On a good day, i simply am.

A sentient passenger on a  on a journey of immesurable complexity and distance.

On a good day, i help others achieve perfection.

I help others to handle their emotions and take on their problems one by one.

On a good day, i reciprocate the tender love of those cloest to me.

I teach others the virtue of compassion and the empowerment of indaviduality..
 

With good mental health

I have the ability to cope with all that life throws in my path.

The strength to fight for what I know is right.

The will to carry on in all situations.

And faith in my fellow man.

A healthy body that’s good and strong

I now recognise the pain

That leads to it wrong

A healthy mind that knows itself

Memories in files

Not sitting on shelves

A social life with friends profuse

A forgiving heart

No room for abuse

A spiritual flight with no ceiling to thwart

Higher and higher

With good care and support

SILVER LININGS

I opened windows,

saw silver linings,

the sky brightening.

I knocked on the door of the day.

In its new frame of mind

it didn’t turn me away;

it pulled up a chair

and asked me to stay.

I took control,

I walked tall.

I had faith

in what I was worth.

I have peace.

I am safe.

I am me.

I am happy.

Anne Broadbent

With good mental health I have,

A better understanding of my world.

I have a clearer vision of my world,

I feel like I can see with both my eyes.

The world is a yellow place,

Instead of a black one.

Back in the days gone by when I was shy,

I beheld you in the distance,

Close up even more beautiful,

But I daren’t even say hello.

Acollades now without a show,

Just gets on and helps me,

Always on time, just a dime,

She’s my pretty penny.

She doesn’t even hear a word,

But does exactly as I say,

Prompt and reads my heart and mind,

And the result is always kind.

Totally and utterly reliable,

My constant companion to be,

Strong in love, and feared by all,

A slip of a thing and so pretty.

Dilligence is on your side,

Won’t leave a stone unturned,

Thoroughly sorted, done and dusted,

Restored and my best friend.

You’re the first always,

Without you I’d be gone

So I sing this song of true love to you,

My closest and so strong.

With good mental health I have
 
Embraced the world I left behind
when lost in darkness of my mind
Eyes now open and I see
beckoning weeping willow tree
With golden glowing moon on high
I dance neath starlit spangled sky
 
Time flies past and I find
life is lovely, people kind
Fighting negativity is the key
setting myself forever free
Unshackled then I aim to fly
for dreams reborn will ne’er die

The rise and smile of schizophrenia

Where the Doctor lends a hand

Sunny side up

The vibes of those integral bells

Waves crashing resplendent in stocking feet

The curling of her windswept hair

The sun shines far from autumn’s grief

My miracle of improvers

From those quiet whispers now quelled in my recovery

The chocolate brownie that does not make me fat

The OT’s speckled paint that drips on the paper was fun

Sunny side up

The rise and smile of my sweet love

With good mental health I have

Life itself

Sunny side up

by Karim Harvey

Karim 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 !!

I am upbeat

Can you distil that as a drink

It is Champagne

I am happy in a crowd

Can I feed the five thousand with fishes

I am rewarded

Can I shine as bright as a new penny

Or will I give my fortune away to charity

I am filled with optimism

You will be my bride as I awake

I am brimming over

Can I smile even more

It has been proved possible

Because today is a good day

I am well

Karim Harvey

With Good Mental Health I have……

Embarked upon a sea of discovery

Elected to travel to distant lands

Enrolled in college, challenged

Entered the  literary world

Enriched my life and opened…….

A cabinet of wonder in which I house

Howling huskies midnight blues

growling runners on silver lakes with

sparkling snow dressed branches and

glowing fires midst Northern Lights.

Wordsworths dancing daffodils

stretching sun drawn golden heads

reflections mirrored in waters deep.

Amazonian bugs bouncing among

mighty moonstruck moths flying

midst tiny black bats gliding.

Sceat of crushed roses distilling

aromatically and my collection of

curiousities from life’s myraid maze.

 Will be infinite……………….

With good mental health

I can be strong

And throughout my life

I’ll get along

With my therapists help

I’ll push on through

Leave behind old memories

And look to the new

With good mental health

I’ll be the best I can be

I’ll move on and grow up

And be a whole new me

I hope to inspire

And bring light to a friend

For if it’s not okay

Then it’s not the end

This is dedicated to my older sister (20), Rebecca Jackson, who struggles with her mental health everyday.

I’m on the hunt today

A will to get up

A purpose to fill

A swing in my step

No need to take a pill.

I smell the bright flowers

I see all the trees

The joys of the world

Are all open to me.

The goals that I set

I achieve with much ease

They’re all within my grasp

If I please.

With good mental health

I see all that the world has to offer

In full 3D and Technicolor

So full is my cup of wealth

With good mental health

i have come to know something

something about life

that it is worth the journey

through the darkness

because as it lifts

the light cleansers

leaving us calm and serene

With good mental health .. I have

more  so much more… I can

dream the dream and sing a lullaby

 there is more so much more

…I feel good because I am strong

I am able to stand on level ground …..  I’m feeling solid….  feeling sound

With good mental health…… I  have

more  yes so much more –

…A

 song to sing  a message  to bring  

 So  I  dream the dream and sing a lullabye

for good mental health is what I have and there’s more so much more

chb

With good mental health I can be myself and not pretend

And ask for help from stranger and friend,

I can win or lose and both are fine

I can be early or late and lose track of time.

I can get things right or get them wrong

I can be out of tune when I sing my song.

I can make mistakes and choose the wrong path

And not get upset when others laugh.

I can have good days and bad ones too

And know that tomorrow I’ll start anew

I can be active or have a Duvet Day

I can work, or rest, or  go out to play

I can do exactly as I please

And not be offended by a little tease.

I can sometimes be stroppy and not always kind

But not worry that again I am losing my mind.

I can tell it how it is and  take people to task

And not hide behind my “Best Behaviour” mask.

With good mental health I can be free

With good mental health I can just be ME!

With good mental health I have…

A life always wanted, by and, for me.

A world that is, as it will always be.

A world that with my friends, I can go see.

With good mental health I have…

My friends, to look out for, and help, me.

A shoulder to cry on if need be.

A place to call, not a house, but homey.

With good mental health I have…

A place where I become completely free.

Of all my worries and all responsibility.

A place where I can always find my family.

With good mental health I have…

A mother who will always love me.

And a brother, plus cousins I see rarely.

And people scattered all across our tree.

With good mental health I have…

Time for pleasures to fill me with glee.

Like gardening, reading and playing footy.

Then I go back to work to be paid my money.

With good mental health I have…

Lots of clothes that keep me toasty.

A really neat car, that’s perfect for me.

And three meals a day, so I stay healthy.

With good mental health I have…

A while yet to live, a lot more to see.

A body in balance, one that’s healthy.

Children, if I’m ill, who bring me my tea.

With good mental health I have…

A wife who I love, and she will love me.

A daughter who’d be called Harmony.

And a son, to keep alive me legacy.

With good mental health I have…

A chance to be great, to help others see,

What we can achieve if we be a unity.

To be the good, decent person I was meant to be.

For ages I was lost, lower and lower I’d sink

But now I am back, back from the brink

I’d lost everything I had, including my mind

But now I’m back with a bang, with all the strength I can find

The trick is to look at everything you see

And think to yourself “What’s the best for me?”

That bleak picture surrounded by a window frame

Is now my vibrant life … just with a different name

The bed which was my everything, my raft in a storm

Is now a tranquil haven, blissful and warm

Sadness, anxiety, sickness, doctors’ potions

Are replaced with contentment, peace and positive emotions

Demons in the stomach, filled with dread and doom

Are now butterfies of anticipation, free and loving the room

The people you think are so perfect and condone

Are all souls in this world with struggles of their own

For ages YOU were lost, lower and lower YOU would sink

But now have the strength to come back from the brink

With good mental health,

I have.

I have confidence

to speak.

I have friends

to confide.

I have balance

each week.

I have control;

No need to hide.

I have peace

in life.

I have joy

to live.

I have lease

to be me.

I have love

willing to thrive.

I have creativity

to express.

I have passion

in excess.

I have positivity

to share.

I have strength

for those in need.

With good mental health:

I have.

The mornings are dark this time of year 

but those friendly sounds each day I hear

kettle boiling, tea soon made

toast has popped up, where’s marmalade

Kitchen warmth around my back

now retired, no lunch to pack

a word out of fashion but which says it all 

is Nice, yes Nice, it’s ten feet tall

So once again I’ll gently yawn

and thank the Lord that I was born.

MY MOTHER

My Mother taught me to be independent and helped me ot become the person I am

My Mother’s name was Peggy,

she was born on June the 7^th.

Her parent’s names were Tom and Anne,

she was a gift from heaven.

My Mother had a brother,

but they did not get on well.

He thought she was embarrassing,

I was not there, it’s hard to tell.

My Mother went to Ballet,

when she was a little girl.

She loved it all so very much,

she became a real show girl.

My Mother joined a drama group,

she played a lot of parts.

As she gradually got older,

it became a very fine art.

My Mother went to college,

and became a very good teacher.

She married Dad, a really good match

he turned out to be a teacher.

My Mother had 3 children,

who were all born 3 weeks late,

Lucy didn’t want to come out,

But she was worth the wait.

My Mother was always there for us,

She loved us no matter what,

He love was unconditional,

She gave it all she’d got.

My Mother was my great support

as I had special needs,

For 39 years she fought for me,

And did many, many good deeds.

My Mother became a Grandmother,

To three boys and a girl.

She did not want to be called Gran,

they called her Peg, the pearl.

My Mother died years later in May,

At the age of 67,

She’d had a good life, we all would say.

                       And now she’s gone to heaven

Joy is a touch to a lonely hand

More meaningful if it isn’t planned

Joy is the wetness of a puppy’s nose

The dew on the petal of a fragrant rose

It’s the sound of a lazy meandering stream

It’s the waking from a magical dream

It’s the sun breaking through on a bright spring day

Keeping negative vibes at bay

It’s the hope in a prayer on a dark stormy night

Restoring our strength in life’s long fight

It’s the understanding when problems are tough

The calm that follows when seas are rough

It’s love and support for a loved one whose ill

More healing than any potion or pill

A voice bringing comfort on the end of the phone

Assuring you that you’re never alone

Joy is the smell of new mown grass

Following a winter that’s over at last

There’s joy in the feel of fresh fallen snow

In children’s faces alive and a glow

There’s joy in the trust of a lifelong friend

In the knowledge that the closeness will never end

Joy is 2 lovers holding hands

Embracing the future and making plans

There’s joy in finding new ways to cope

And being safe in the knowledge

There is always HOPE

Personalisation means choice and control

Renewed motivation to reach my goal

Individual budgets the vital key

Now I’m empowered happy and free

Direct payments have helped me

With the life that I live

Now I feel I have far more to give

A reason to get out of bed each day

Our needs all differ but that’s ok

New choices flexibility

Places to go and people to see

A PA whose a friend to share my days

Providing help and support in so many ways

I look to the future with new found hope

A new quality of life has helped me to cope

There’s no more need to keep raising our voices

The future is bright we’ve been given NEW CHOICES

My flesh is grass,

Trapped by dismissal,

Held under force by the blocks of convention.

But my roots are deep-set

In artisitic subversion

And I will thrust through

With the songs of dissension.

My spears will disrupt

The simple, the brutal

For I hold the seeds of

The complex, the fruitful.

Wide awake and positive
Bring on my day
I don’t need sunshine
To keep the storm at bay

The worlds my oyster
I’ve got a new day to breathe
I’ll embrace lifes riches
In me I’ll believe

I’ll greet each and every day
Thinking I too have survived
Reflect of the miracle that I am
Thinking it’s good to be alive