Stupidly Optimistic.

By Shayla Astudillo

Mental health is often overlooked in society. This poem dives into the mind of a teenager who finally has had enough.

I think we’ve forgotten what a good mental health looks like as a society. 

It’s accumulated from various sources. 
The panic attacks from homework, 
the fear of hearing a bang in the hallway, 
the homeless people far too cold, 
and the fear of getting sick. 

I remember watching Grey’s Anatomy one day, and the main character, Meredith, 
stated the following, 
“you don’t know this yet… but life’s not supposed to be this hard” 
I’ve never agreed more. 

I think 
as 
a society our mental health has hit a low. 

And, especially for teens and kids. 
Yet, lately, I’ve noticed teachers too, and even parents, friends, and
everyone. 
Just everyone that I could pluck out 		like a flower that’s going through way too much 
         right now. 

It’s not supposed to be this hard.
It’s just not.

Yet it’s become such a norm that some things seem more important than our mental health. 
It’s not okay.

I hope we all find some peace.
It may not be today, tomorrow, or a few years from now, but 
at some point 
we will hear the birds sing in the morning, 
      the sun won’t feel too strong, 
    we will find some peace. 
Maybe that’s too optimistic, but it’s better than being bitter, I think. 

Girls Write Now On the Other Side of Everything: The 2023 Anthology

Do you know what it’s like to communicate with your family across a salty ocean’s divide? Do you want the sun and moon to enter your home with stories written in embers? Do you seek voices that will punctuate the darkness? Welcome to the other side of everything. It’s the other side of silence, the other side of childhood, the other side of hate, the other side of indifference, it’s the other side of sides, where the binary breaks down. It’s a new paradigm, a destination, a different perspective, a mindset, a state of openness, the space between the endless folds in your forehead, hopes for tomorrow, and reflections on the past. This anthology of diverse voices is an everything bagel of literary genres and love songs, secrets whispered in the dark of night, conversations held with ancestors under the sea. 

READ ON THE OTHER SIDE

VISIT ANTHOLOGY LIBRARY

Process

When I originally began writing this piece, it was for a school project. The prompt was to create something that demonstrated a real-world issue. It was 1:30 a.m. (typically when I write anyways) and I had no idea what to write about. I was deleting constantly. Worried that what I was writing was far too personal for a school project.

However, after rewriting the poem many times. I reanalyzed the topic of mental health. It wasn’t merely about me or my friends. It was about the people all around me who couldn’t focus on their mental health due to society. It was about everyone around me. The topic was no longer something that I worried about being too much about me. Now I worried that it was too much for the people around me to hear. But it was something I needed to say. So I said it.