THE ONCE-FOREST

Once again my friend and fellow sufferer, Bridgette Saunders, has penned a magnificent piece of writing.

This one is a metaphor for death by suicide that she scribbled to amplify awareness for National Suicide Prevention Month:

THE ONCE-FOREST

A forest shook with the rust of disease on the bark of its trees. One day it stood, majestic and abundant, thick of could be’s and could do’s. Occasionally rampant with admirers, loving it and fossilizing it in the amber of their photos.

It was invincible, even sickly. Its roots were ruthless and perpetually reaching despite the rude intrusion of weeds and disease. The sun would meet it daily, embracing with the ease of familiarity. How loved it was, the forest.

And then came a day when its admirers surrounded it with gaping mouths and inconsolable sobs.

How could this happen? Our beloved forest. Did we not love it enough?

And this anguish resounded out in a harmonious, melancholic collective across the ashened, flattened land of the once-forest. A fire had been set to relieve the sickness but it overwhelmed the forest entirely so that there it sat as a once-forest.

A once-forest inside photos with the admirers. A once-forest the sun could no longer visit, and so it sat heavy in the Milky Way full of a sort nothingness for a while. A once-forest that was crawling with an inextinguishable vivaciousness and humming with the possibilities of the unopened blossoms awaiting ripening. A once-forest with the throbbing ache of a wound that no one knew to excise.

And so it was set aflame, with its marvels and wonderment and gifts, the blossoms of tomorrow eternally youthful and untouched A once-forest that could have been healed of its affliction and flourished in the aftermath.

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If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, do not hesitate to reach out. Reach out to a guardian or a school counselor. As an adult, speak to your family doctor about your thoughts. Do not become a once-forest because you were too afraid of the disease on the bark of your trees. Here are more resources for help:

24/7 Free and confidential support found here:

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

How to reach out to others for your suicidal feelings/thoughts:

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/suicide-prevention/worried-about-suicide/talking-to-someone-about-your-suicidal-feelings

Worldwide suicide chat:

http://www.suicidestop.com/suicide_prevention_chat_online.html