A poem for #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
Krsna Mohnani is a fourth-year medical student at Norwich Medical School, with an interest in innovation, healthcare policy, and poetry with a social message. She wrote this poem to describe how everyone is affected differently during the COVID-19 outbreak and has their own worries and priorities.
‘We are all in the same storm, but not in the same boat,’ said Krsna. ‘Regardless of how big or how small the disappointment, a little empathy can actually go a long way.’
When not revising for her exams, Krsna’s spent lockdown training in Indian/urban dance, volunteering to teach students who have missed out on lectures, and writing articles for young students aspiring to study Medicine.
She hopes that this piece inspires others to recognise the importance of kindness, and show more empathy, support and understanding during this unprecedented time.
Our kindness is not finite
Our kindness is not finite.
It is not diminished by how much we use
Nor by how many we choose
To share it with.
It’s for the new job not started
The old job that dropped them
The wedding which fell through
And the honeymoon they never got to do.
It’s for the uncertain future of a worried kid
The bills of their anxious mum
And dare I say her nails or her hair
Which made her feel just a bit more ‘there’.
It’s to the gran you say “It’s just bingo, hun”
But “just bingo” means a lot more, when that’s the only time she sees anyone.
For there are little things we’ve put on hold
And big things we can’t control,
And little things which may be big to that one soul.
Because every individual’s struggle, is just that –
Individual.
So yes, they all need a shoulder on which to cry
Albeit of a different size
But a shoulder, nonetheless.
So hold her hand whilst she cries, about the prom she was denied
Because whilst that may not be
“The most important thing in the world right now”
It may well have been the most important thing, for her.
And trust me when I say
When we’re all supported
In our own little runs
We’re then stronger together
To face the big ones.
Because somehow, and in some way
This outbreak touched us all, it’s true -
So I ask you, my dear reader,
Why can’t our empathy do that too?
- May, 2020