Mental health is a journey, it has lots of ups and downs. Just like life, we never know which way it will go: from happiness to sadness, from worry to not a care in the world. There are books, films and discussions which try to tell you which way to turn, when realistically you are the only one who holds the answers. Sometimes, though, you need a bit of help – and that’s what I got from the strangest place, inside my head! A poet: whenever there was trouble, he appeared and led me back to happiness, helping me on my journey. My friend the poet plotted my pathways and shaped my future, carving my destiny as we went through the darkest periods of my life with the only support coming from within and from the pen, which indeed is mightier than the sword. It can write or draw happier days and times, even if the parchment is used and damaged. From darkness into light through inner strength and the spoken and written word… “Si vis pacem, para bellum.”
Working through many a mental health journey, concerned about sanity, anger and dignity, the understanding of not just life but different mental states that govern life would shape my future and designate my present and quantify my past. A fortunate airman in a new life with still the same troubles and problems but now with only a fictional poet as support, Gary embraces mental health and constantly questions sanity whilst exploring his mind and the world around him, finding solace in poetry where once again the words of life will take him through dark and meaningful times where no other support was available.