Firstly, to the friend who allowed me to use a couple of segments from a piece of their of work for this. This wouldn't exist without that and in turn wouldn't exist without you. appreciate you truly. ------------------ I know mental health and suicide are really sensitive topics, but one of the worst things we can do is stay silent about them. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, or you’re just feeling down, low, or like you’re struggling, please reach out to someone you trust — a friend, family member, or a professional support service. Talking to someone can make a huge difference. Suicide Numbers (Most Recent Data) United States In 2024, there were about 48,800 suicide deaths reported — roughly 13.7 per 100,000 people. This number is preliminary but reflects the latest data from the CDC. Australia In 2024, there were around 3,307 deaths classified as suicide. This figure is provisional and may rise as coronial investigations continue. England & Wales In 2023, there were 6,069 suicides registered in England and Wales — with an age-standardised rate of about 11.4 per 100,000 people. 💛 You’re Not Alone Numbers like these can feel overwhelming, but they remind us why speaking up matters. If you’re struggling right now, please don’t sit with those thoughts alone — reach out for help. If you need urgent support: United States: Call/Text 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Australia: Call Lifeline 13 11 14 United Kingdom & Ireland: Call Samaritans 116 123 These services are there to listen, without judgment. ---------------------------------------------------------- What were you thinking? We treated his headspace like a crawlspace Knocking on the drywall, looking for a load-bearing beam But it was just a fever dream, a seam Bursting at the stitching, and we were just itching To get a look at the rot We thought If we mapped the mathematics of his mental acrobatics We could solve for the static in the attic But the problem with the pragmatic approach to the erratic Is that you miss the panic Five months of the frantic, the manic, the organic decay And when he went away We stood around the crater with our calculators Trying to sum up the cost of the loss It was a high-wire act, a matter of fact A self-destructive, deductive, reductive contract He was polarity, rejecting the charity Of gravity A biological hilarity, a cavity in the clarity Impulse is the pulse, the convulsion, the repulsion Of the boring He was soaring on wings made of wax and agitation A manic fixation, a taxation on the soul Weighing the toll Low self-esteem, steam rising from the cream of the crop Waiting for the other shoe to drop What were you thinking…? Key word: disorder A border skirmish, a furnace, a state of confusion A disruption of the systematic, pneumatic functions A hint of a delusion I’m not pointing a finger, but I’ll let the accusation linger Like the smell of the smoke on your coat You were the goat, the scapegoat, the antidote That didn’t work You saw the quirk, the jerk of the knee And thought, “Better him than me” You watched the seed grow, the weed grow, the greed grow Inside the garden of his mind And you were blind No, you were peeking through the blinds Trying to find a meaning, a gleaming reason to keep on breathing While he was seething in the juice of his own brain How can you ask the train to explain the derailment? How can you ask the patient to patent the ailment? You raise awareness like a toast at a feast But you’re just feeding the beast You sacrificed the soul for the role of the crier But you never brought a hose to the fire Pointing fingers You had to know The seeds you sow Come back full-grown A gamble made for the promenade, the charade, the accolades Of the audience row An unstable mind is a terrible find When you’re looking for a mirror It’s getting clearer He was trying to find A way out of the bind A way out of this life And we watched
