Poetry

Darkness Is Coming

A poem about the times you can feel depression returning.

Note: Watch this poem as a music video below.

Darkness Is Coming

Darkness is coming Lurking on hillsides Dancing amidst clouds Triggering landslides

Darkness is coming Gathering strangers Brewing up trouble Hiding old dangers

Darkness is coming Stealing the sun’s light Passing out shadows Dispensing its blight

Darkness is coming Summoning your fate Calling in orders Deciding the date

Darkness is coming Commanding all thoughts Strangling desires Disconnecting dots

Darkness is coming Whispering fresh lies Altering beliefs Silencing allies

Darkness is coming Freezing the scorched earth Dulling sharp edges Blurring priceless worth

Darkness is coming Battling each protest Canceling parades Closing the hope chest

Darkness is coming Harvesting power Welcoming sadness Making one cower

Darkness is coming Insisting it’s crowned Numbing all feeling Wetting arid ground

Darkness is coming Cementing the night Embracing despair Tightening its bite

Darkness is coming

• March 5, 2020

When you have bipolar disorder, it’s not a matter of if your depression will return, but when it will arrive. Over the years, you learn to spot the signs, to see the darkness on the horizon.

This morning while driving to work, I noticed the purple of the mountains that only appears this time of year. It reminded me of what I’m feeling, knowing what spring always brings. Hope and despair will come together. New life and old nightmares.

Darkness is coming. I can feel it in my bones. I could still see it, even if my eyes failed me. I fear it and dread it, but I know I’ll survive. This isn’t the first visit and won’t be the last. It doesn’t stay forever, and that truth keeps me fighting.

I hope you’ll keep fighting, too.

Until next time, keep fighting.

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