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Illustration for a book of poetry on Mental Health. Okay To Be Okay; Okay To Be Not is a book of poetry -- of people who battle their inner demons every day, people who've made peace with them, those who have lost and
the allies who rush to their aid.
It is a lyrical guide to help individuals navigate the world of mental health, offer solace when needed, show gratitude to those support structures who always stand ready or act as a battle cry to keep pushing forward.
Poem
Illustration
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Drowning
Written by Harnidh Kaur
Hold me down in water,
just six inches is enough to drag
me away, and two feet would
wash away my car, but you knew
that since the moment you pressed
your palm against the curve of my
neck and pushed down, carefully,
with deliberation, and held me
with your fingertips, just so afraid of
water splashing back at you in the
off chance that I struggled against
the force of my lungs trying to heave
me upwards, arching, trying to gush
through the rushing grey, the spots in
my eyes telling me that just a little
push will make everything okay, but
I don’t, I don’t fight away,
I stay,
stay under your palm,
feeling water rip
through my nose and into the alveoli
unequipped to handle the deluge, just
like I am unequipped to handle your
ministrations, and suddenly, the
pressure is gone, and I gasp up,
sputtering, coughing, sucking in air
like a greedy glutton, after years of
unwarranted starving, and you peer
down at me, the cuffs of your shirt
wet, and my first reaction is to say
Sorry,
Sorry for the unfortunate inconvenience.
Finding myself to be a memory collector & finding room for more
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