Poem: Depression

Depression

A veil.
That's what it is,
a mask of OK, of functioning, while
inside,
every breath is a struggle, every
action, every
act, kind or cruel,
is like swimming in tar,
black, thick, with the sucking sound
that pulls you even
as you lift your foot
for the next step.

A veil,
that's what it is,
that not only hides the tears
that burn like fire down your face,
but blocks the light
from your own eyes,
blurs the best truths,
hides the best of you
and the best beyond you.

A veil,
that is what it is,
frightening to strangers and loved ones alike,
a mask, not of pretension or pretend,
but of fear, desperate for light
and afraid of it
at the same time.

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The picture was taken in Munich.

Tom