“Poppy’s Law”

 

Seventeen Oct, the ward lights fade,

Alone with the scars that a shunt had made.

No hand to hold, no voice in the night,

Just a KFC box and a will to fight.

 

February came — bruises to bone,

Beaten by those meant to guide you home.

The judge saw truth that the system denied,

A warrior stood where they wanted you tied.

 

April brought hope in a stranger’s word,

A counsellor listening, your story heard.

“You’re not alone” lit a crack in the wall,

But the road was endless, the climb too tall.

 

May turned bitter — you wrote it clear,

“Love me alive, not after I’m here.

Don’t post your grief when my breath is done,

Show me your care while I face the sun.”

 

September pride — a flat of your own,

With no family help, you built a home.

Carpet and courage, haircut and all,

Still you feared one day the silence would call.

 

October twice, the shadows grew,

Three ops, no family, just nurses who knew.

Loss upon loss — grandad, your friend,

A spiral that never seemed to end.

 

November bled with a final plea,

“Trigger warning — don’t forget me.

I tried, I fought, but my body’s worn,

My hope is thin, my soul is torn.”

 

Then came the posts — too late, too late,

“Fly high, we love you” at Heaven’s gate.

But love delayed is a counterfeit song,

What you needed was love while you lived, all along.

 

—

 

So write it in ink, not whispers of air,

Poppy’s Law says justice, care.

Extend the rights till thirty-five,

Keep every care-experienced soul alive.

 

Screen their minds, support their fight,

Track every death, bring truth to light.

Make suicide prevention the councils’ vow,

Not someday, not maybe — but here and now.

 

Independent eyes must hold the score,

ProjectR keeps the numbers — we’ll take no more.

No spin, no cover, no closing the door,

Accountability first, excuses no more.

 

—

 

For Poppy we rise, for Poppy we stand,

Her words are the law we demand from this land.

No more flowers after the fall,

Protect them living — or you’ve failed them all.

 

So now it’s your turn — don’t scroll, don’t delay,

Your signature shouts what silence won’t say.

For every Poppy, for lives on the line,

Be the shield, be the change — this is your time.

 

✍️ Sign the petition, let justice be heard,

Tomorrow is written by today’s spoken word. 🫶🕊

✊ Poppy’s Law. Write it. Pass it. Enforce it.

 

© 2025 Project R | Living Grief | Poppy’s Law