Don't Go - By: Mehak Warring

The day after 

you said goodbye


to life,


the sun rose,

spreading across your open blinds,


waiting to see 

the brightness


that once came from you.

But all it found


was empty space,


an unmade bed,


all your little trinkets in their place,


all the things that made you, you.

Yet there was a looming sadness.

Confused, the sun 

searched for you…

throughout your house,

only finding your mom,

pale and blue,


and your dad


reading and rereading

over and over again 

a letter
signed:

“Sorry I wasn’t strong enough.

It’s not your fault.


I loved you the most.”

The day after you said goodbye,


it poured,

because 

even the sun understood


that you 

truly were


the 

brightest 

light.  

Please give a detailed explanation about the meaning and main idea of this poem.

This poem is meant to raise awareness about deaths by suicide and contribute to advocacy for suicide prevention. In Canada the second leading cause of death among youth, is suicide; with a prevalence so high, I feel that we as a society are still not doing enough. Reflecting on lived experiences and conversations I’ve had with others, I want to contribute to positive change and be that source of light that I felt I always needed growing up or when things feel challenging.

Please explain your writing and thought process regarding this poem.

This poem was inspired by another spoken word artist, slightly, as she was raising awareness about suicide and started with “the day after you take your life…” and began to list what stayed the same and the emotional aftermath. It really made me reflect and think about where I stand and how that would feel for the people around me. As an empath, I feel that I can understand both sides of story, the one struggling to get by and the loved ones left behind. Moreover, the sun has always been something that has brought me joy and so that symbolizes my personal journey but also the colour “yellow” and “light” is something I have always used to represent my reasons to stay and things I’m grateful for; all the things that keep me going.

Why did you choose to write this poem?

I feel that with so much stigma and fear surrounding suicide I don’t want people to loose hope or realize what they have lost when it’s too late. Suicide is a preventable occurrence, and the current high prevalence hints at a public health crisis; yet as a society why aren’t we seeing the urgency?

Do you have any tips or anything to share with the youth writers who may be reading this?

Expression and creative writing have no rules; poetry has no rules. You are in charge of your piece and it may not be conventional or follow any structure but it’s yours and that in itself is special. Sometimes it can be overwhelming or easy to fall for “imposter syndrome” but trust yourself and your abilities! You don’t have to have had formal training or schooling to write either, the writing community welcomes creativity in every and any form.

You are doing amazing :)