Solitude

By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;

Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life's gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;

Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/solitude-by-ella-
wheeler-wilcox
Demons Of Darkness
© Olivia B
Published: September 2015
She stood on the bridge 
In silence and fear
For the demons of darkness
Had driven her here

They cut her heart 

Right out of her chest
Making her believe 
That the demons knew best 

They were always there

Sometimes just out of sight
Waiting in the background 
Till the time was right 

These demons were destructive 

Knocking down the life she knew 
Hating everything about her
She hated herself too

These demons can't be seen

But they're far from fairy tales 
They live inside your mind 
Their evilness prevails 

So on the bridge she stood

About to end the fight
Then she stopped and thought
I'll fight them one more night

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/demons-of-darkness
Behind The Mask
© Melisa Bernards
Published: February 2015
Hiding the hurt, hiding the pain, 
Hiding the tears that fall like rain.
Saying I'm fine when I'm anything but.
This ache in my soul rips at my gut.
My skin is on fire; I burn from within.
The calm on my face is an ongoing sin.
The world must stay out; I've built up a wall.
My fragile lie will collapse should it ever fall.
Loneliness consumes me; it eats away the years
Until my life is swallowed by unending fears.
Waiting for someone to see I wear a mask
And care enough to remove it; is that too much to ask?

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/behind-the-mask
Struggling With Depression And Suicide
© Debbie Leads
Published: December 2007
Days of endless struggle.
More hopeful pills today,
Trying to appear "normal"
In some sort of way.

It seems that the struggle

Is always here with me,
And I wouldn't be here now
If guilt would leave me be.

I know there's been many

Who've had it worse than I,
But that doesn't always mean
That I wouldn't say good-bye.

People say I have a lot going for me.

I'm sorry, but I just can't see.
I can't see because my worst enemy
Is not my life but inside of me.

Always on a roller coaster,

Not much consistency.
I'm nothing if I'm not up or down.
I'm nothing if just "me."

Very little energy,

Wanting to stay in bed,
Wishing to be enthusiastic
Instead of feeling like I'm made of lead.

Wanting to be excited,
Wanting to care for more,
But when nothing makes sense,
It's hard to focus on the poor.

Cluttered mind, cluttered thinking.

It's hard to keep in touch
With what is happening around me
And not to worry too much.

I feel that everybody is better than me

And that I can't do anything right.
This is how I've felt my whole dang life;
It didn't just start last night.

No confidence, no self-esteem.
Everybody else is right.
To speak my mind is to be a fool,
So I just try to "sit tight."

Any one of these problems

Would be a heavy vice,
But when you have them ALL
Living seems like a roll of the dice.

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/struggling-with-
depression-and-suicide
I Wish I Weren't Alone
© Jo
Published: June 2011
Once when I was little,
I was happy and carefree.
I used to run around laughing
Until it was time for tea.

I used to play games

And smile all the time.
I used to feel on top of the world.
I used to feel fine.

It's amazing how things change

When people let you down.
And how that once happy face
Turns into a solemn frown.

You search and search

For someone who cares,
Anyone who understands,
Anyone who dares.

Loneliness, it hurts.
It kills you deep inside.
It makes you feel empty.
It stops you in your stride.

You cry yourself to sleep,

Hugging your pillow tight,
Wishing for someone
To hold you through the night.

Once when I was little,

I was happy and carefree.
Now my life's full of sadness,
Pain and misery.

Once when I was little,

I was never on my own.
But now I pray at night,
"I wish I weren't alone."

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/loneliness-hurts-i-
wish-i-wasnt-alone