A WOMAN originally from Rhyl who released her first poetry book earlier this year has had one of her poems included in the 2021 Poet’s Yearbook.

Leah Jones, 26, was delighted that the book, published annually in Canada, chose a piece of her work entitled ‘Silence Should Speak’ as part of this year’s edition.

The poem, described by Leah as one of her best pieces, was also included in ‘Semi Colon’, her collection of poetry she published in February, and touches on the ignorance surrounding obvious signs of mental health struggles in the workplace.

When the Poet’s Yearbook contacted Leah to tell her they were featuring ‘Silence Should Speak’, as well as awarding her elite writer status, she said: “I had to read it about six times before it sank in.

“That one in particular has got quite a lot of love from the American poetry community. They said the message was so captivating and could apply to any situation.”

Leah draws from personal experiences for all of her poetry work, and ‘Silence Should Speak’ was no different, having found herself under great stress while in a previous job.

Rhyl Journal: 'Silence Should Speak' by Leah Jones, as it appears in the 2021 Poet's Yearbook. Photo: Leah Jones'Silence Should Speak' by Leah Jones, as it appears in the 2021 Poet's Yearbook. Photo: Leah Jones

Through highlighting how easy it can be to miss indicators of poor mental health at work, she hopes her poem will inspire those who read it to take a more active approach in this regard.

She added: “My current employers have been really supportive with the message I’m trying to convey. The signs that people portray in the workplace; when you know what to look for, they’re incredibly obvious.

“I went from being very sociable to being very enclosed, not speaking to anyone, dodging the question if anyone asked how I was.

“I’m a paralegal; my job is very stressful, but straight away, my current supervisor in a team meeting recognised the tone of my voice wasn’t normal, so she phoned me up straight away and asked if I needed any help.

“Last year, I took an online course for suicide prevention - it took ten minutes. I know that half the workplaces out there don’t do courses like that and it touches on very basic signs to recognise.

“Just taking a simple course like that to recognise that, if someone’s all of a sudden closed off, it doesn’t always mean that they’re just having one bad day. It could be leading up to a string of bad days, which could lead to something potentially fatal if it carries on and leads that way.

“Even something as simple as a supervisor phoning just to check in can make the world of difference.”

Leah, who has also had her work included in Canadian publications such as the Beckindale and Nightingale Poetry Journals, turned to poetry aged 17 after Melanie Henderson, her English teacher at Ysgol Glan Clwyd in St Asaph, suggested it as a coping mechanism during her A-Levels.

As well as the support of her friends and family, it is Melanie to whom she attributes the success of her poetry, and she plans to work on something with her once COVID restrictions make it easier for them to meet.

Leah is also working on a second poetry book of her own – again, the writings will focus on mental health, but more so on the topic of toxic relationships and friendships.

“They’re all personal, and that’s what I wanted – for teenagers and young people to recognise there are healthier ways of coping,” she added.

“It’s almost an escape. It’s a way of being able to express myself, of telling it how it is and how I’m feeling, without the fear of being judged or shunned to the side.

“When I was doing my A-Levels, it was only my English teacher who recognised that I needed help managing my stress. All my success with my poetry is down to her. She’s been a massive help with it all.

“We’ve been talking about doing a collaboration together when we’re both free from any sort of COVID restrictions.

“We want to pull together, with my style of poetry conveyed across it as well as her knowledge and skills regarding mental health, and teach young people that this (poetry) is a very healthy way of coping, and it’s a lot easier than it looks.

“You don’t have to share your work with anyone, it can be very private.

“My friends and family have been my biggest supporters. They’ve said that, with how much detail that the poems go into, they can relate to them, even though it’s not their personal experience.”

Leah’s debut collection of poetry, ‘Semi Colon ;: Poetry To Take You Through a Journey Through Mental Health Awareness’, is available at: www.amazon.co.uk/Semi-Colon-Through-Journey-Awareness-ebook/dp/B08X67HXY5.