ISBN: 978-960-626-781-10

This book is a rare collection of 17 poems written across two decades. All the poems are introspective and authentically bound to express the present moment. The verses are free and raw, audaciously experimenting with creative methods to convey various themes and emotions. The first two poems establish two fundamental principles: the impermanence of all things and our intrinsic solitude despite being surrounded by companionship. The remainder of the poems chronologically guide the reader through life’s various chapters, revealing their accompanied reflections. The verses impart soulful lessons derived from these reflections, leading to healing and personal growth, ultimately cultivating increased mental resilience.

WILL I EVER

Looking out the window from high up, It's almost midnight,

Yet so bright.

A day before the full snow moon.

It's peaceful.

Nothing gives out what previously has been.

Nothing now moves,

For there is this beauty in our world That, with time everything balances out.

Just breathe.

Soon the veil will fall, and you too will sleep.

You will,

And the so-bright night will retreat.

Something's gotta give,

A rise to the new.

Yet the new is old. It's a circle.

The rules of the stars in our code.

TOGETHER ALONE

The big empty space

Between us and the others can hardly ever be fully filled, A constant reminder that we are meant to be alone, From start to finish.

The warm, silky feeling

Comes from the illusion of camaraderie, A comforting 'what if things were different, Sometimes in between.

On our path at different times, we taste both, On our path at different times, we forget both, And together alone we are.

BLACK THORN

Inside the sweet noise of the day, I rehearse,

No one can see that I am diverse.

Among the shadows of the night, I withdraw,

No one can see my flaw.

And as a creature from another world, I mutate,

No one can see I gestate.

A mishmash of colours, sensations and degraded memories, Emerging from my dusty centuries.

Would you ever dare to come closer and compose with me, A shaded melody without rhythm,

Breathing eroticism.

And as you dance with me, I'll be reborn,

No one will ever see my black thorn.



THE OLDER THE NEWER

Opening up

To what once was unknown, The schism in the brain, The birth of two parts, The older, the newer,

Emerge in this once-white painting.

Breathing in

What once was distant, The division in the heart, The creation of two parts, The older, the newer,

Defines this once sinless melody.

Can you reach out to me, Put your hands into the gap, The older, the newer, Rip out the heart,

And give it to the people?

A LULLABY FOR YOU

Go to sleep my dear baby

And dream about love and frosty mornings

Dream in navy blue, under the rhythm of your favourite lullaby Fly among tall trees and above the sea Dream about people being kind to each other And don't forget the shiny stars

Dream about sunsets

And mum and dad holding hands

Go to sleep my dear baby

And dream how the charcoal smells And how a tight hug feels

Remember the gardenia in a white pot And the sound of the fire Dream about blue nights And your mama's smile

Dream my baby about all that worth in life

Go to sleep my dear baby

BLUE HYDRANGERS

On the road with the blue hydrangeas, Wish for lust to return, Lust for heartbreak, Lust for life.

And as your tired eyes close tonight, Keep on pushing,

Push the night away, Sleep is for forsakers.

Because life awaits none who slumber

And the clock ticks,

Ticks life away.

Stay

Patapia is an award-winning clinical psychologist in private practice specializing in adult mental health and a mental health entrepreneur. She is an associate fellow and chartered scientist of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EuroPsy). She studied at the universities of East London, Oxford and Cambridge, and trained in the UK’s oldest Clinical Psychology programme within the Department of Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London. She undertook specialist placements across three world-renowned NHS Trusts: South London & Maudsley, King’s College Hospital and Guy’s & St Thomas’, known collectively as King’s Health Partners. Previously she held a post as a neuropsychologist at the Department of Neuropsychology, Queen’s Hospital in Romford, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, and prior to this she worked as a clinical psychologist & research director at the Neurosurgery Clinic and Gamma Knife Department, Hygeia Hospital in Athens, Greece. Patapia is the Director of 'My Psychology Clinic', where she offers one-to-one therapy sessions to a select clientele. Her special interests include life transitions, resilience, loneliness ,self-regulation, personal development, efficiency, authenticity as well as entrepreneurial stress and leadership development. Patapia imagines a world where we understand and openly embrace mental health in our lives because our relationship with our mental health determines the quality of our lives and those of others. She is therefore passionate about raising awareness of mental health and destigmatizing seeking help. She strongly believes that looking after our mental health is not an entitlement but both our responsibility and our right, and that it is a fundamental prerequisite for building healthy, functional adults and, in turn, a healthy society.