This week, in honor of Suicide Prevention Month, we recognize the mental health struggles of students in our Sacred Heart community and beyond. Audrey’s Corner was established by The Spectrum to honor staff writer Audrey Niblo, a junior, who passed away from an illness in 2018. Audrey knew that students can experience many kinds of struggles and that everyone can aim to practice positivity and kindness and to support those who need it.
more than one sunset
By An anonymous and caring writer
i couldn’t move as you told me the story.
a child’s hands and a man’s face
shaking at the steering wheel of a
car you always loved to drive.
it only made sense that’s how you
wanted it to end.
and so you drove
towards a bridge–you
memorized every bump on the pavement
where the clouds gathered when
there was a storm,
and where the pink fell first
over the ocean horizon
when the sun was setting,
so it reflected into a perfect
mimic of the sky.
this was to be your last view.
your heart right there in the waves
while your body crumpled in the car
and it would have worked.
it would have worked.
if it had not been for the blockade,
the only way into something–
people and plastic in the way.
i don’t pray much anymore
but i know there’s a God.
because She saved your life that day.
and i am not saying that She saved
you for me.
no.
i look into your eyes and i’m
grateful you are alive for you.
so you could heal–
so you could memorize the sunset
over every ocean.
so one day you will sit at a steering wheel
with a man’s body and a man’s brain,
hands steady on the wheel
and a smile.
you can smile.
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
Suicide & Crisis Hotline: Call or text 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org
On-Campus Resources: Contact the Counseling Center at 203-371-7955 or visit their website at https://www.sacredheart.edu/offices–departments-directory/counseling-center/. To make an appointment, call their office manager at the number above, and they will help you set one up. They provide same day counseling. Counseling Center hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
In case of an emergency or after hours, contact Public Safety at 203-371-7911. For non-emergencies, call Public Safety at 203-371-7995.
