10th May, 2026

Today's featured poetry taken from the book ...

JUST A KISS

By Amelia May Hart

It was a kiss

Just a kiss

A kiss I didn’t agree to

But a kiss nonetheless

It was just a kiss

I Say to myself

But I still feel his hand on my head

As he pulled me closer

And my body tensing as I let it happen

And I still remember walking away without saying a word

Because what was the point

I said no

and it didn’t matter

So why would it matter now

Cause it was a kiss

Just a kiss

A kiss I didn't agree to

But a kiss nonetheless

It was just a kiss

I say to myself

But I still think about the fear I felt

When he grabbed my neck

And asked what I’d do if he chocked me out

And I still flinch when his hand reaches near me

Thinking it’ll happen again

And he will do something without my consent

But it was a kiss

Just a kiss

A kiss I didn't agree to

But a kiss nonetheless

It was just a kiss

But what if next time it’s not just kiss

And what if next time it’s more then that

Because It’s never just a kiss

When it comes to consent

And I did not give it

I did not give consent

So he had no right to take my choice away

And to take my ability to say no and lock it in a cage

Because it was not just a kiss

It was assault

And I will never forgive him

ABOUT AMELIA: Amelia is 15 years-old, and lives in Lancashire, England with her mum, older sister and her dog Nala. She has OCD, ADHD and ASD, and has struggled with her mental health since November 2023, which has affected every part of her life. The hardest bit is helping people around her understand what it's like in her head, and how to help her. She has found writing poems helps her express herself, and she like to share them, it might also help other people as she doesn't want other people to feel how she do - it's important people know they aren't alone!

You can read Amelia's other poems: PAY IT FORWARD and THE ICE CREAM MAN in the book PTSD.



LET ME BE THERE FOR YOU

(For a friend who has just experienced a traumatic loss)

By Kavita Ezekiel Mendonca

Let me walk you gently

When you can’t take another step

From bed to window.

Let me be your eyes

Bringing you the light of sunrise

When darkness is your companion.

Let me be your ears

When you cannot hear the birds

Only thoughts buzzing in your head.

Let me be your nose

When you can’t smell the roses

Just the smell of loss and death.

Let me be your speech

When the words just won’t come

Tears frozen in stunned grief

Let me pray you into dreams of peace

When you are unable to sleep at night

Like the lullaby of a mother for her child.

If it’s all I can do

Let me do it, silently

Please, let me hold your hand.

ABOUT THE POEM: Sometimes all you can do to help alleviate the pain of sudden loss is to be there for the person. There are many unspoken ways to be present to provide a measure of comfort. Words are not needed in this kind of unbearable grief. Holding a hand, wiping away tears, listening without interrupting or judgement, goes a long way to assuage the trauma. Walking in the shoes of the loved one left behind is to show much needed support and empathy.

ABOUT KAVITA: Born and raised in Bombay, India, and currently living in Calgary, Canada, in a career spanning over four decades, Kavita has taught English in an International School nestled in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains in India, as well as in French and Spanish private schools in Canada.

→ PTSD is the EIGHTH in the acclaimed Poetry for Mental Health book series! ←