2021 Stigma Art Contest Winners
Below are the first, second and third place winners from the art contest for 2021. Honorable Mentions will be shared soon.
1st Place (video)
Boston EMA Ryan White Planning Council, Consumer Committee, Someone You Know and Love
2nd Place (poem)
Robin Graham, In the Quiet of my Mind
In the Quiet of my Mind,
I didn’t see it coming.
I had no reason to be unhappy.
However, there was a very strong uneasiness,
it was quite disturbing.
I shuttered at the truth when I was told,
that I suffer from depression.
My strength and composure were gone.
I closed down and started to mourn.
In the Quiet of my Mind,
emotions, pain, and confusion crept into my world.
It was all on me and me alone.
I had to break my silence,
in to find a solution.
I sought out a therapist I knew
and had quiet talks about life and feelings.
I did not want to believe that I was lost, down and out,
with possible years of doubt.
In the Quiet of my Mind,
I can tell you I faced great fear.
The battle was mostly up hill.
I prayed and looked for a way to toe the line.
My life was suddenly uncertain.
In the Quiet of my Mind, I cried often.
How do I move forward?
Keep my head up and not downward.
With the help of therapy, meds, and Serenity,
I found my way upward.
My Quiet Mind is thinking again.
Happy thoughts, sunlight, and a will to win.
I want to win.
I am winning.
3rd Place (painting)
Sabri AL Qurahsi, Guantanamo Bay Detainee, Untitled
