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This collection of poems on male suicide, vulnerability, grief and hope sold in aid of CALM must come with trigger warnings.
There is such generosity in the poets sharing their pain.
From the introduction “… for whatever reason, society encourages an oversimplified existence, thus generating accepted ‘norms’ to our behaviour. We live, we die. We weep, we laugh. We suffer, we feel joy. It would seem we’re only ready to acknowledge and celebrate three of these six crucial human emotions.”
Some extracts from the poems…
From Hide All the Knives by Katrina Naomi
“…
I didn’t know you anymore,
though I tried to tell myself
I loved you.
...”
From Impromptu from MT Taylor
“…
On the day of the funeral
I asked his wife why
there was no piano in their home.
She said there was no room.
I understood at once
that he had never really lived there.”
From Multiple Choice by Casey Bailey
“…
The most difficult multiple choice questions
are not the ones where you feel like all
of the answers could be right.
The most difficult multiple choice questions
are the one s where you feel like none
of the answers can be right,
but you must choose one anyway.”
Evening Prayer by Abi Budgen
“Evening hangs in pastel hues
Iridescent, sweet and warm
Holding its breath
Dogs and bikes and ordinary things
Pass it by
Day, relentless
Parched and gasping
Now quenched with calm
Breathes out slowly
Releases all tension
Another spirit
Home
A Dream by David Calcutt
...All your concentration
strained towards the journey you were making
and I was powerless to stop you, just as I was powerless
to turn away from watching. No call of mine
would bring you back. …”
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