Featured Poet - Jason Kirk Bartley

Featured Poet - Jason Kirk Bartley

THE BEST VERSION OF YOU


Mental illness is rough.

We try to pray and cope.

Sometimes people self-medicate

with alcohol or dope.

Be active in your recovery and there

is hope.

Step forward, not backwards, be your

best man.

There are millions with mental illness

extend out your hand.

Be the one everyone looks up to,

it's not found in being drunk or stoned.

I know life can be hard,

when you feel all alone.

Brave the world.

You are not on your own

this day.

You are "you".

There'll not be another.

Be the best you can be.

It's okay to be imperfect in

your own special way,

to shine like the mid-day sun.

In the trenches you've fought,

now your battle is won.

Show others the keys to happiness

do not lie in money or fame,

but it is in our own uniqueness,

and being proud that no one else can be the

same.


SUSPICIONS


People are watching,

all staring at me,

hiding in bushes,

hanging from trees.

The FBI is around the corner.

Sometimes they put hidden cameras

around.

In my home scared,

is where I am found.

Scared to go out or even face the day.

Scared that they're trying to take me away.

For it seems so real.

Schizophrenia has made me pay.

I hear commotion and think the worse.

Someone's breaking into my apartment.

I'm having a heart attack.

I'll end up taking a ride in a hearse.

Suspicions and anxieties seem to make themselves known.

It's the price we have to pay

for being alone.

But it will all get better.

I'm not locked away.

The sun is still shining on this beautiful day.

I'm alive to enjoy it.

I'm so full of dreams,

I don't want to quit,

though sometimes I fall apart at the

seams.

The birds chirp as if to say, "Hang in there,

my son, come what may."


IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE


It could have been worse,

I could've been dead.

There's always someone who is worse-off,

as voices rattle in my head,

telling me this,

or telling me that,

I'm kind of ugly,

or lose weight you're fat.

The voices are lies.

They try and take control.

But I fail to listen,

or go to that place they want to be

In my soul.

I'll not let them win.

I'll surely fight,

my medicine, my doctors,

with all of my might.

God looks down,

His hand upon me helping me along.

I'm not really weak,

but I'm rather strong.

I've been hanging on for 'o so long.

Other people with mental illnesses

have walked my path.

The illness tries to chain us,

or unleash its wrath,

but I'm the lion tamer,

I have a strong heart.

I'll tame this lion within

and have a new start.


FACING GIANTS


Life is full of trials and

things sometimes go bad.

Ask the Lord for strength,

when the giants get mad,

Pounding and stomping,

clattering around.

Giants move slowly to

try and squash you into

the ground.

They snarl, and chomp, and

grit their teeth,

they tell you, "You can't. You need relief."

The giant in front of you is never greater than God who's behind you.

But they look so mean and scary in sight.

Resist the Giants with all of your might.

It's natural to be scared to death,

where you think you might be defeated,

your energy all gone.

It's been depleted.

If you never move past,

you'll never see,

Your giant fall in your victory.

Look to God, the giant'll never last.

Give him a blast as you dig into the dirt.

You'll see your giant squirm as you put on the hurt.

Trials and problems, are a temporary thing.

Remember your strength within and you'll be the king.

Step up to the giant, step into the ring.

Run circles around him 'till his balance and coordination are no more.

Give him a push as he hits the floor.

Your problems will soon go away.

You'll live and fight another day.

'Till another moves down your path.

You'll know how to win,

you'll show him your wrath.

Point to the one giant behind you,

you've knocked off his feet.

Strike fear into your enemy,

make him retreat.


STAY IN THE FIGHT


Battles are raging,

out of control,

Bomb shells igniting,

words are being said,

rockets are blasting,

Some lay in bed.

These battles will not be won by themselves. 

Be proactive indeed,

as doctors and psychiatrists, God,

meet all of your needs,

while voices are taunting

The depressed want to stay in their house 'Cause the world outside seems daunting.

Voices vie for your attention,

as they cloud your mind.

Sometimes we need to step back

for a solution is hard to find.

The battlefield is our mind,

to lose it we cannot afford,

step into the battle,

take out your sword.

So when the battle rages out of control.

Remember it's just a mental war,

do not let it take its toll.


SHOW UP


Whether you are "a cutter," anxiety-filled,

or badly depressed.

Keep taking small steps forward. 

Trust your doctors and Healthcare workers,

they're doing their best.

And whether you're in an uphill battle or

find yourself in distress.

Get up, show up, get yourself dressed. 

Put your best foot forward,

give all that you can.

Give inspiration.

Be the best woman or man.

Help others along in this journey of life.

Do not leave them alone to manage their own strife.

I pray that God finds you early and often in every way,

and I know your tomorrow will be a better day.


ABOUT THE POET: Jason has been plagued with paranoid schizophrenia for years. He has a Master's degree in Ministry and wants to help others who have a mental illness through his poetry. His poetry has been published in several journals, magazines and websites, and he won a gold medal in the NVCAF - national recognition in the National Veteran's Creative Arts Festival, with a poem titled: "The Woodcarver." 

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