Posted by Atticus on August 18, 2004, at 9:13:47
In reply to 'A Coney Island of the Mind', posted by Jai Narayan on August 18, 2004, at 7:20:20
A powerful, compact poem, and, of course, I love the rich visual description; it's right up my alley. When I slipped in and out of bouts with depression before the great crash-and-burn of 1996, I never really was aware it was coming. There was just this vague sense of melancholy that I'd wake up with every day at first, which deeped into gloom. The storm always crept in with such stealth that I was in the middle of it before I knew what had happened. Now I do monitor my moods pretty carefully for any sign that the meds might not be holding up. It's always interesting to read posts of yours like this because I get greater insight into what it's like for those on the outside watching the process unfold in terms of behavior and signifiers that a big nor'easter is coming. From my place in the eye of the storm, it was always hard to tell what the winds I was churning up were doing to those unlucky enough to be in my vicinity. I'd get glimpses, but no real comprehension.
The other fascinating thing about this poem is that it plays to what I see as a cultural aspect of the Irish persona; a grief over something or someone lost. In my case, obviously, it's both Alyssa and my pre-1996 self, although increasingly I think that my younger self was far less healthy mentally than I've long believed. In your case, it's your mother slipping away into the dark lands of the mindscape. Thank you for sharing this poem with me, and what it means to you. :) Atticus
poster:Atticus
thread:379022
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/write/20040729/msgs/379052.html