As a young writer, Charly Cox has had a remarkable career that has made her one of the world’s best-selling poets. She began writing as a young teenager to overcome her crippling anxiety and much of that work appeared in her debut, collection She Must Be Mad. She was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and now at the age of thirty she is a passionate advocate for mental health. Her deceptively simple poetry goes to straight to the heart of the anxiety that many of us share in countless different ways. Her work is notable for its authenticity and clarity. Here’s an early example.
All I Wanted Was Some Toast
I got a fork stuck in the dishwasher
And now I can’t stop crying.
Whoever said depression was glamorous
Has clearly never considered dying
Over a peanut butter covered utensil
And that’s not the worst of all
The wet clothes hanger fell over
So I punched my fist into a wall
I’d rather smell than have a shower
The thought of socialising is scary
I can’t even binge on chocolate
Because “happy me” cut out dairy
This is boring, I feel knackered
All I wanted was some toast
But if I can’t handle that
I’m obviously going to die alone.
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