When you go through a traumatic experience,

It can put you in bounds,

Let’s you see the world through a lens;

You could fight the hounds,

Of memory and pain,

Or listen to others’ sounds;

Losing your own voice to the sorrows of rain,

And live your life in stealth,

Who knows if you will stay sane?

Because it doesn’t matter how much wealth,

It will affect your mental health.

// This poem has been penned by 11-year-old Atharv Sharma and was recited by him at the Children’s Poetry Open Mic on Mental Health organized by WICCI National Mental Health Council in association with Beyond the Box on 18th September 2021 //