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| Image by Zelko Nedic |
through those damn dewy eyes
that torment my soul
and steal
the very heart of me.
The warning growl
through snarling teeth;
the putrid breath
feeding despair
and souring hope.
You are my black dog,forever vigilant.
there is no escape.
Damn your dewy eyes.
Anna :o]
Tess’s excellent prompt at The Mag brought to mind the above I had posted earlier last year and it really didn’t get much of an airing.
I was tentatively dipping my toes in the poetry world then only having entered Magpie Tales twice prior to posting Depression on its little lonesome, linked to nothing but my desire to write.
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Hello again! I have added this bit today (30.07.12) in case some folk are unaware that ‘The Black Dog’ is a metaphor for depression. I think most of us attribute the term to Winston Churchill although it is possible it was conceived prior to this.
I should make you aware that I do not suffer from depression, in fact I am rather happy-go-lucky in my approach to life – but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about anything for I surely do.
I work in mental health and I listen to the people I care for - and learn, for to (pretend) to care without understanding is not caring at all.
Here is a link to a Black Dog article at PsychCentral – just here!
39 comments:
Yes, depression can be a growling dog, can't it?
Depression can be a nasty beast. The bottom pic is so not the way most of us see labs behave, is it.
Nice write to the prompt Anna. Glad you are writing :)
I kind of though he looked like that from the flip side......
;)
Beautiful. It conjures an image of someone with 'insight' into her problem, but whenever she tries to breakaway, the growling dog (depression) keeps her from doing so.
The glowing light from above gives the impression of hope and better things yet to come. Thank you for sharing your reflections Anna. I enjoyed reading your thoughts. =D
phew- so powerful a take on this image-and your addition of the dogs face is perfect.
This is a sad state of a tormented soul with souring hope ~ Nice share Anna ~
Depression is hard stuff…always waiting in the shadows like that dog to sneak up on you as well…I am glad you write about your journey with it…I find writing to be therapeutic and use it with a lot of the kids I work with…
Thank you for your welcome comments folks.
Brian ~ again thanks for your kind thoughts. I have added a bit to the above post to advise that I do not myself suffer from depression - but it is my sincere hope that I understand those that do.
Anna :o]
Oooo...nasty teeth trump dewy eyes every time!
Fine metaphor for depression.
I did not know that black dog = depression. That sure is not a description of "man's best friend"! I see it here:
"feeding despair
and souring hope"
Which makes it seem like someone else's guard dog has come into a vacuum. Have your speaker get her own animal to chase this monster away! And wish her luck from me who bare my teeth at this dog and take my medication regularly. I'm winning, slowly.
Excellent - there's much to learn...
The black dog follows me around...
well done Anna...thanks for this
yup and you worded it so nicely...liked it so much...
Interesting metaphor for depression that I had not heard before. I am glad that Tess gave us this image for the prompt so that you could repost this poem that was missed by many, including me, before. Would have been a pity to miss it, as it is excellent.
You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I'm looking forward for your next post, I'll try to get the hang of it!
Excellent poem, Anna. Combines the helpless feeling with the sense of menace. I don't suffer from depression much but when I do I relate to that.
Great expansion of conceit!
I love this and I love and always have had a black dog. Thus I don't like the use of "black dog with depression. Here in the states people persist in "not" picking up black dogs at the pound ... out of fear of them. Makes me sad. BUT. Great poem Anna.
Damn old black dog of depression..sometimes tamed, but always lurking...you did a splendid work here!
Depression does bite! thanks
Thank you for your very welcome comments folks.
Anna :o]
Never was aware of The Black Dog term. Your poem covers the prompt wonderfully, Anna!
I admire the work Mental Health teams do. My younger sister, at 21, was diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder and it was pretty much not taken seriously back then! But with a host of caring staff, eventually grew back to her old self. At almost 40 she teaches English now!
It's always seemed to me that the black dog metaphor follows one around like any black dog. Use the image and you're stuck with the metaphor, intended or not.
Which takes nothing away from your fine poem.
I know the feeling of writing to an emotion yet not necessarily sharing the emotion. Your poem shows that you don't go through life not taking notice of what others may be suffering.
Dear Anna: "Damn your dewy eyes" is very memorable. And in light of the recent events in Colorado; very current. An excellent poem on a touchy subject.
I am glad you are a happy person but feel for the depressed.
poem followed by prose makes your presentation very meaningful.
Thanks for sharing.
congratulations for the first century--members are 100 now!!!!WoW
Thanks for your very welcome comments folks and Tariq, many thanks for being No 100!
Anna :o]
An excellent take on a the Mag. Depression hurts and I feel the pain in your write.
Just to say I was here, although the post is quite elderly by now.
As you know, I know that black dog far too well.
Being held back from breaking away by some past life. I like this piece Ann. Nice!
Hi Anna .. I'm like you - though I appreciate others who suffer from it - must be very difficult to deal with ... though I have a friend who as long as she is on pills is ok - she got hers from post-natal depression ... I'm so pleased for her it's controllable, as she's delightful.
Black Dog is a well known British expression isn't it .. having just looked in Wiki - it seems Samuel Johnson was the first person to use it in the 1780s ...
Dewy eyes .... and that look of despair ... so difficult to stop the souring.
Cheers Hilary
Wow, wow, wow. Fabulous and spot on.
those damn dewy eyes... yes!
Cheers for your welcome comments folks.
Anna :o]
I am glad to see someone witness and write about depression first hand..understanding and empathy on the last frontier- mental health...
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