Abby Levers, age 18
The poem below surrounds the topic of mental health, and how sharing one’s thoughts and emotions can not only help themselves through recovery but also aid others in their own understanding and growth; the image of water is used to symbolise this. It is called “thoughts flow” and is written purposefully in all lowercase with little to no punctuation to make it pleasing to the eye. You will find it below:
thoughts flow in a stream past my conscience
gather in puddles, lakes, and ponds
hold home to my swimming sentiment
when the weather is hot, clouds begin to form
and when the rain starts to fall
I pour and overflow
droplets form a trickle till it all gushes out
breaks through the boulders
leaks through the cracks
and from my fountain of knowledge, they drank
until I was dry of my worries
dry of my woe
and now
before the clouds can draw in to snuff out the sun
I sprinkle when they look underwatered
and I watch us grow together
