A Sea of Ink

At first, it’s just one piece She sticks across her bleeding heart. A fine and bendy bandage— Temporary, at the start. The picture of her arm But then a beetle cast becomes. She tries to mask the current Stronger, stronger as it hums. ’Tween her calm and hard reality Soon the casing’s all that stands. She’s shifting foot to foot as Friction’s sparking from her hands. Plastic darling, tape wrapped thrice, She cannot open up to say Beneath it she’s a livewire, Into darkness fades away.

Mentally Ill Afraid to Speak Out Negative tradition attached to mental illness deters those affected. Stigma surrounding mental illnesses and those who suffer from them persists around the world today, due to false media and negative connotations, but can be reduced through education and a spread of awareness. “What you really fear the most isn’t the suffering inside of you, it’s the stigma inside of others,” said mental health activist Kevin Breel, “It’s the shame and embarrassment. We live in a world where when you break your arm everyone runs over to sign your cast, but if you tell people you’re depressed everyone runs the other way.” The stigma associated with mental illness in the United States and other countries across the globe is a predominant problem even in this day and age. Stigma causes “shame, blame, hopelessness, distress, misrepresentation in the media, reluctance to seek and/or accept necessary help,” stated the Government of Western Australia Mental Health Co...