I knew a young man
Who taught dogs to dance
and could hypnotize frogs
to go into a trance
Some days he would feel
So blue and so sad
Then the very next day
Stay up all night to play
He was a creative soul
Who was misunderstood
He suffered bipolar
Which is a brain disorder
People called him weak
The hurt was deep
One sorry sorry night
He tried to take his life
People called it selfish
They even got mad
They just didn’t get
He was very, very sad
Then one day a boy said,
“I’ll be your friend,
Your art is beautiful
And so is your soul.”
I told you this story
So you’d understand
How much we need
A new attitude
I challenge you
And the one next to you
To erase the stigma of mental illness
Thank you Leigh. I love doing these when I speak to students. I often have them read the stories to the audience
Love this poem and its message.