i grip onto sanity
as hard as i possibly can,
my knuckles turning white
from the immense amount
of effort it takes
to hold myself up
and prevent myself
from falling thousands of feet
into the endless pit
of madness and despair.

from the ashes
tell me, is it possible
for anyone
to rise above
the charcoal grey ashes

of ignorance?
is anyone able
to transcend the willingness
to close off their mind
and live in a
perfect glass bubble
of comfortability?
for i have never
seen anyone truly ascend
from the smoking
ashes of ignorance
to the clean, pure air
of knowledge.

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Artist Statement: I am currently in the process of publishing my manuscript titled “she will rise – a journey of recovery and self discovery,” which details the fall into deteriorating mental health and the rise of recovery. As both a woman and someone who suffers from multiple mental health issues, intersectional feminism is necessary and important to me and plays a role in my life and therefore bleeds into my work, as writing is my way to process emotions.

Bio: Alyssa Archambault (she/her) is an 18 year old student from northwest Connecticut. She has been writing for four years as her way to compartmentalize and recover from her mental health struggles including anxiety and depression. Her goal is to help at least one person through her writing and show them that they are not alone and things will get better.

Cover Photo by Lisa Fotios from Pexels

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