A friend of mine recently inspired me to write about my own struggle with mental illness. I decided that the best way I could express how I feel is through a poem. So, I wrote it and decided to share it with you. I've battled mental illness most of my life. It has affected everything from my daily living to the kind of people I allow into my life. So, here goes nothing: a poem about my struggle with my own mental illness.

An Ode To Mental Illness

It's gnawing at my soul,

I can't stand it anymore.

This feeling inside my gut,

like an itch I can't scratch.

It doesn't make any sense,

to feel the way that I do.

All I want to do is run,

to find peace somewhere.

Why can't I be like you,

so strong and stoic.

Nothing ever gets to you,

I wish I were like that.

They claim it's not that hard,

to overcome your anxiety.

But for me it's like a waging war,

a war I fight against myself.

How did the pain get so bad?

How has this become my life?

Afraid to leave my house,

or even to be by myself.

So here I am, alone and afraid,

Feelings of shame surfacing.

It's not fair for us to be this way,

We shouldn't have to pay the price.