10/06/2026
Men's Mental Health Month is globally observed in June, and one of our Intervention Workers, Ashley, shared a poem that means a lot to him.
They tell a boy “don’t cry, be tough, don’t break, don’t bend, don’t feel.”
So he swallows every storm inside because he believes his silence makes him steel,
A man who bleeds out quiet, because the world won’t take the view,
Pain don’t care what gender you are — it still cuts straight through you.
He wears his smile like armour, it weighs heavy on his chest,
Sleep is non existent, because you never get to rest.
“Man up,” they say, “grow some balls” while his mind begins to fray,
Because asking for a helping hand means “weak” in all the words they say.
Depression doesn’t knock before it kicks the door right in,
Anxiety don’t ask for permission to take you for a spin,
Yet we’re told that strength is quiet, that healing’s not for men,
So we drown in rooms full of people and we die and die again.
But hear me; asking ain’t weakness, it’s the strongest thing you’ll do,
To say “I’m not okay” and mean it — that’s how ‘tough’ becomes something new.
We’re not made of stone, we’re not statues, we’re human, we are flawed, we’re real,
And men deserve to heal, to speak, to break, and to feel.
So if you’re listening and you’re hurting, let this message be a sign:
You’re not less of a man for the battles in your mind.
You are valid, of that I have no doubts,
Talk. Breathe. Feel. Reach out.
By RisenFromTheAshes
If you would like support around any of the issues raised in the poem, or would like to support young people going through please contact Base 25 at [email protected]
