Mental Illness Poems | Examples of Mental Illness Poetry

6 Dead, 4 Wounded, And One On The Way

Leukemia boys and
Leukemia girls wave
in hospital volunteers,
as the angels wave
them away.

What is 
love?

Beyond
an overpriced
ambulance ride,
and an unnecessary
hospital stay?

The most beautiful things:
summer sweat,
and Rome after
rain.

Inside,
a child draws
a yellow sun
with trembling fingers.
The IV, taped
down like it’s trying
to hold him
there.

Forced positivity.
A heart full of
apathy.

I see that
same world you try
to see with substance sober,
and I’ll be the first to

There Is Sanity

There is sanity 
In my madness, 
If only it could be found, 
For you’ll find 
My ravings if unravelled, 
Are actually quite profound.

Bipolar Love

She says I’m so fun,
then claims that we’re done,
she says she hates me,
then wants my babies.
first she wants her man,
then says, “Go use your hand.”
She stares at my eves,
then says I’m full of lies.

The aggravation…
the resignation…
I think I’ve had enough
of her bipolar love.
Bipolar love.

She dreams of houses,
then only grouses,
wants to show me off,
then snaps, “Just

Sulking By The Shore

Silently sulking
By lake's soothing sounding waves.
Singing beneath stars.
Imagining sinking down:
How sad it would be to drown.

I Already Accepted

I already accepted. 
The gold metal, the grinding sounds. 
Every type of glue that isn’t as good as a nail. 
Unknowingly. 

I already accepted. 
The sweaty feeling. 
Wings falling off. 
Brand new socks that have tears. 

I already accepted. 
How everyone is congratulating me. 
Smoky and no eyes. 
An award like a gravestone. 

I already

Delusions

 A thousand bees never settling down,
       buzzed within his head.
    Their confused drone, into a ruffled rumble grew, 
    lengthening into frenzied drum beats,
               taking the might of

Poetry Thief

Mara loves to steal from others
A skill well learned with no druthers
Paraphrase one word or two,
Hoping no one has a clue
Her poems formed from another's

Mara cannot hide behind her word crime
And pretending to, is a waste of time
Poems and words can be traced,
to a new plagiarism case
She needs to stop and find a new pastime

Perfume

They spray perfume sometimes. 
It makes the screaming seem quieter. 
Everyone is reading a book or magazine. 
Until someone starts crying and bubbles of crying burst. 
They serve hot dogs, sometimes. 
I’m in the shower and it’s like I’m sitting down.
Eyes closed, chewing. 
Eating through memories. 
They wash the sheets if you ask them to.

Schizophrenia

I lived once in a land before the light
where shadows ruled and terror was the king
Sable dark did fall upon me every night
and flittermouse did brush me with their wing.

There was no day to shine away the fear
so terror ruled, malignant, endless black;
eyes closed or open, demons still appear
and, as in life, to stab me

Can't Sleep

Lying in bed. 
Blankets. 
Imagining glass orbs.
With fireflies inside.
There’s people sleeping. 
Tracing skeleton thoughts. 
While lying around. 
Nothing.
I like to write. 
About scraggly eyes and itchy grass. 
You have to eat. 
I do, and the thought of food is scrunched up in my mind. 
Pizza, but it’s made of bubble wrap. 
Burgers, but it’s a

Why I Never Get Help

Dissolve again.
Into some puddle of oil.
Sink, and sunken. 
Then turn into an oil painting. 
Dissolve again. 
Like a penny. 
I don’t think pennies ever dissolve.
They just get dropped into the sewer sometimes. 
And no one looks for them.
They turn into monsters.
Dissolve again. 
Like gray. 
Gray just-
Crunches underfoot. 
Stabs my feet. 
Until I get rid of

Fugue

I’ve lived here my whole life. 
I work here. 
Wearing slippers to work. 
So fuzzy and nice. 
My manager is tearing through. 
Every word is nothing. 
Grappling at every pause. 
This room is dizzy. 
Computer keyboards. 
Pens and pencils. 
Typing for hours. 
And nothing goes my way. 
Printing out blank sheets of paper. 
Lunch. 
Open

Trauma-Induced Dissociation

So, "let it ***ing rain."
"The death of us."
Drowned in fire and ice.
"Good knight"

(Obsidian butterfly) you broke my heart
But, you, (Snow white), shattered my heart, mind, and soul.

Addiction

Some days, too much is not enough. 
Other days, just enough is too much. 
What I used to do just to get my fix. 
Remembering that person who I used to be. 
That temporary reprieve. 
Lasting for what feels like only heartbeats. 
That temporary reprieve from physical, emotional ache. 
The bridges I’ve burned. 
The pain

Your Shadow With A Tail

I remember when your laughter
Was a light across the floor—
Sun spilling from your mouth,
Feet dancing through the door.
But now the house is quiet,
And your eyes don’t meet mine.
You sit, unmoving, breathing,
Like a clock that lost its time.

I nudge your hand in silence,
Bring my leash, then bring it back,
But you just stare through windows,
Watching days fade

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