The Mountain

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.