She Smiles by Niamh McAlister

This is a poem I have written called ‘she smiles’. It deals with some sensitive topics about mental health. I wrote this poem after my friend told me about her experiences with her anxiety and mental health. After she told me about her experience I wrote a poem and she really liked it. She suggested that I submit it to purple ink so that others experiencing mental health issues know that they are never alone. Also just know that my friend is getting the support she needs now, and please don’t ask me who she is as she doesn't want her identity known.

She smiles

She smiles

But she doesn't smile because she’s happy

she smiles because she feels broken

she smiles because of her anxiety

she smiles because she's labelled as the 'happy friend'

she smiles because nobody understands her pain

she smiles because of her panic attacks

she smiles because the voice in her head tells her that she's ugly

she smiles because she's struggling in her own thoughts

she doesn't smile despite her problems

she smiles because of them

And she will keep on smiling

Because she have no other choice

But when you see her smiling

She is not smiling because she's happy

she's smiling because she's broken

If you deal with any of the issues in this poem please tell someone, it could be your parents, your favourite teacher or your friends, just don’t go through this alone. You could also use a website called Kooth where you can get online free counselling from real trained counsellors.