The Mountain
By Laura Ding-Edwards
If the mountain seems too big today
then climb a hill instead
if the morning brings you sadness
it’s okay to stay in bed
If the day ahead weighs heavy
and your plans, feel like a curse
there’s no shame in rearranging
don’t make yourself feel worse
If a shower stings like needles
and a bath feels like you’ll drown
if you haven’t washed your hair for days
don’t throw away your crown
A day is not a lifetime
a rest is not defeat
don’t think of it as failure
just a quiet kind retreat
It’s okay to take a moment
from an anxious, fractured mind
the world will not stop turning
while you get realigned
The mountain will still be there
when you want to try again
you climb it in your own time
just love yourself til then
About the Author
Laura Ding-Edwards is an artist and writer from Herefordshire, UK. She started her business, Rainbird Roots, in 2016 and quickly went from painting as a hobby to full-time artist, commissioning pet portraits, unique wildlife artwork & typography pieces. The Rainbird Roots brand name comes from her mother’s beautiful maiden name of “Rainbird”. You can see Laura’s artwork by visiting RainbirdRoots.com. Her first poem, “The Mountain,” was written in a car back in January 2019 and details her experiences of living with anxiety. It rapidly gained momentum on social media, having had millions of views and shares across the world. From this, more poems were written and eventually The Mountain book was born.
Ding-Edwards’ book The Mountain tackles mental health, relationships, bullying, body image, hate, love, and everything in between. In her first collection of poetry and prose, she focusses on the importance of being human, in its rawest, purest forms. The book doesn’t have the answers to our most intricate complexities, but it does reassure you that you are only human, after all.
Joe
The Closet Professor 
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