It seemed calm enough to begin with – No obviously strong waves, Or hints of hidden swells. Able to stay afloat and safe, I immersed myself in its comforting embrace. As time went on, breezes appeared, Each gust creating tiny ripples Disturbing the established equilibrium. Initial confusion turned to anxiety as The ocean subtly began […]
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Nizam is a school teacher and poet from London, and wrote this poem when he was struggling with depression. I had the chance to interview him over the phone about his poetry and his experiences with his mental health. He told me that around the time he wrote this poem he was finding it extremely […]
Soaring High in the sky Looking around Enjoying the view The houses The hills The trees The people The sky blue in colour Blue as can be In parts the sky is white I glide over See a bus turning right Full of people Who are they? Where are they going? Can they see me […]
We’re a small charity but we think big. What makes us think big is our community: people with lived experience of mental health difficulties and distress who are thinking big. Here’s a bit about what we’ve done over the years, the things we’ve been published in, and the awards our community have won together. Annual […]
Flourish put me in touch with Suzie because she wanted to share her story but felt she needed some support with writing it. I had very little previous knowledge of her condition, but over a coffee one Monday afternoon she opened up to me about her mental health and the difficulties she’s faced: “I wanted […]
I’ve written previously about how my experiences of volunteering, particularly with the Time to Change campaign, have helped me to take back control of my story. Inspired by Volunteers’ Week, I wanted to expand further on how joining the movement in 2016 as a Young Champion has changed my life and helped me to grow […]
Sunshine Sun shinesBrightly through my windowI crouch Writing wordsThe morning rainA distant memoryThe wind blowsA cool windThe clouds float awayLeaving blue skyI’m stuck hereInside my homeBattling with my mindI hope the sunshine in me will shine To remove the bad thoughtsTo blow them awayLeaving me to shine As I know I can
The story behind the writing of this poem is beautiful. When David Atkinson was just doing a quick doodle at one of the workshops at Men’s Mental Health course run by Connected Worlds (Rotherham Flourish), he didn’t imagine it would inspire this powerful poem. The drawing that was shared on Twitter caught the attention of […]
Rain Darkness has enveloped the light The wind blows strongly The rain lashes on the windows Leaves that spin in the dry, stay still Become slippery Mushy Water collects on surfaces Motor vehicles disperse the water as they pass Spraying everywhere People wrestle with umbrellas Trying to keep hold Trying not to fly away Those […]
Shirin Teifouri very kindly shares with us a poem made collectively by seven people during the Nature and Wellbeing course.
I first heard about Sheffield Flourish when I received an invitation in my paid job to attend the launch event. I sat there that day in the Showroom and experienced what I can only describe as FOMO (fear of missing out). I was so excited that such a project was happening in Sheffield and I […]