Perth-Andover Resident Has Poem Selected for Mindscapes

Posted On June 18, 2014

Tinker resident Chris Fitzherbert has had a poem accepted for display at the upcoming Mindscape Exhibit in Miramichi later this year. Mindscapes New Brunswick is a Canadian Mental Health Association initiative which strives to empower people who have lived the experience of mental illness. It offers these people a well- deserved celebration of their abilities, talents and creativity.
 
Through the creative expression of the talented artists who contribute to this exhibit everyone who views the works will be making an important connection to fellow members of their communities.
 

Chris is originally from Centreville, but has lived in Tinker for the past 6 years. He is self employed as a gardener and lawn worker, and volunteers his help to community projects. He was involved with Samaritans Purse when they helped our community in the aftermath of the 2012 flood.
 

Here is the poem Chris wrote that will be displayed at Mindscapes:

Support Is Out There

So being someone with mental illness I have learned that it’s like drug or alcohol abusers.
We don’t know it’s going on nor have control of it.
But it would be easier if it was drugs or something.
Because then you could quit that problem.
But with mental illness what do you quit?
And when you lose everything that you love in life because of it.
Over and over it’s like you have no control over it.
But when you think you got it controlled a little bit,
Then what you love so much still just goes away.
It just makes it’s harder to keep that control and not slip back into the illness.
If there was just a way we could make it all go away and be able to control it better.
They can medicate, but it just calms it some.
It don’t stop it or take it away.
Nothing can but us.
We are the only one that can make that change.
And sometimes when you’re losing something or someone,
It’s harder to find the willpower to keep making that change,
That power to carry on and know things will be ok.
So when things get tough that’s when the mental illness gets stronger.
So that means we gotta get stronger.
Somehow we gotta dig deep down somewhere inside.
Find that power inside ourselves instead of losing what we have for support.
But as I have learned you can’t an it’s ok.
Hurt is supposed to hurt,
But there is always support, you just gotta go out and find it.
Don’t let the illness get ya down.
You’re better than that.