there are countless stories
of how suicide affected the still-living,
the still-breathing,
the still-thriving.

there are countless truly selfish tales,
choruses of “please don’t do it”
but never is there a
“i understand, and i support you regardless.”

we talk about assisted suicides
in medicine, for the elderly
and the physically ill,
so why is it that my doctor

can’t write me an rx
for a premature leave of absence?
why is it that mental illness
is always seen as simply being overdramatic?

why is it that people understand
and accept the fact that physically ill people die
but they can’t accept the fact
that mentally ill people want to stop suffering as well?