Words for Wellness

Every month here at CMX Chat, we push our users to be creative and get their imagination flowing with our monthly writing competitions. This month, in order to continue to raise awareness around mental health, we have chosen the topic of “Words for Wellness”.

We are encouraging our users to write anything they like, a story, a poem, a dramatic monologue, whatever they desire, that touches on the topic of mental heath.

At CMX Chat, we know that our users are creative and social people. Every day, we are inspired by their writing submitted into the Writers Rooms and I personally, love to sit with a cup of tea in the morning and get my next instalment of some go the wonderful stories that are added in. It starts my day with a creative drive and a spring in my, otherwise sluggish, step.

In this expressive writing competition, as always, we will publish all entries submitted and choose a winner at the end of the month. We do this to support our writers and give them a chance to see their work out there in the world, published for all to see. Don’t forget, that if you want to support our users, please share our posts to make sure that their work travels far and wide.

In terms of Mental Health, here at CMX Chat, we don’t shy away from these conversations – see our latest blog that discusses mental health advocacy through writing as well as many other tips on how to promote mental wellbeing. We are driven to have a platform that everyone feels safe and welcome in, no matter how they are feeling.

Our Mental Health Writing contest “Words of Wellness” is just another way that we are encouraging our users to open up to one another and see each other for the people that we all are. People with struggles, people with unseen battles, people who are strong and fight every day. We have more in common than some of us will care to admit.

So… *deep breaths Rozi!* this month, I’m going to start the ball rolling myself. Let’s break the stigma together. If everyone is open and everyone talks freely about mental health, there will never be a topic we can’t talk about.

Here’s my piece:

A.A – Rozi S

Though drowning in sincerity,
Your words lack much remorse.
Eyes are now glazed over,
With your tongue becoming coarse.

I fill my empty glass with rage,
As you fill yours with sorrow.
Sit mimicking an adolescent,
Adulthood starts tomorrow.

Like a message in a bottle,
Swaying the oceans high.
Visibly in ruins,
You stagger open lies.

Each day a new adventure
Though never one with me,
Shoved, pushed out of the way,
For the next being to foresee.

I asked you once, when small
and young, “when will mummy be here?”

you laughed and took another sip.
The answer – I still wait to hear.

Transparently, you smile at me,
Hiding your deepening shame.
Mentally somewhere else,
and establishing who to blame.

Remembering the bridges
You broke and you burned –
The people who loved you,
The money you earned.

People spent on wasted things,
Money bled and hurt,
Your ignorance embarrasses me, it’s
Their care that you pervert!

I stare into your watery eyes,
I stare into your broken lies
I stare at your worn disguise,
I look at you and reluctantly realise:

Patience has betrayed me,
No longer can I fight,
In need of a fitting childhood –
A diminished, basic right.

Mummy won’t look after,
She can only look before.
Embracing a twelve step method,
With the same neglect in store.

You were taken from me,
By a figure that always swallowed, l
With a hand over your mouth,
And a forked tail that followed.

He emerged dressed in white,
With stethoscope and glasses,
Telling me it would help
With every day that passes.

His horns told me differently,
And my heart told me more,
I wish to run away now,
My heart is aching and sore.

So, when a temperate mind takes hold
And the light has shone at last,
It will never be enough for me.
That was my childhood – passed.

~

**Below are the submissions from our users – they will be updated as they come in and a winner will be selected at the end of May.**

Our winner will have a choice of their prize as is documented on our site and our Discord Channel.

Best of luck to everyone entering, but the fact that you’ve even put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboards, is a win already.

We cannot wait to read your submissions!!

If you want to enter, join us now.