Just Like You

mindshare was recipient of Arts SA’s Strategic Community Partnership: Community Grant for 2014 working with the Media Resource Centre and Access 2 Arts. As part of this project mindshare invited poets, writers and individuals with lived experience of a mental health issue to submit poetry to a competition called When words come to life.

Our judge Jude Aquilina then selected 8 poems from a diverse range of applicants which were turned into digital stories during a workshop run by the Media Resource Centre.

Brenton Pope was one of the selected poets with his poem ‘Just like you’, this is his story.

Just like you by Brenton Pope

You might choose to call me crazy, or maybe just insane,
But whatever you choose to call me, the facts nonetheless remain..
I am more than just an illness, some disorder or certain type,
More than this I’m a person, who just longs to feel alright.

And if you look beyond the label, and look beyond a name,
You just might just find, that you and I, are really much the same.
For believe it or not I am human, human just like you,
Deeply flawed and not perfect, with my own opinions and my views.

For I am your neighbour, your employee, your partner and your friend,
But I hide my illness from you, and do my best to just pretend..
That everything will be ok, don’t worry it’s not too late,
While I silently I pray you’ll help and maybe ask “you right there mate?”