This is a parody poem I wrote based on Danez Smith’s Alternate Names for Black Boys (Link: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/247334).
This poem is about the things I’ve heard other people say about their perspective on depression, things I’ve felt describe my depression, and observations I’ve made about myself and others with depression. This poem is a reflection on my struggle with depression and how there are so many ideas surrounding what exactly depression is. I hope you enjoy and this poem gets you thinking about the stigma of mental illness versus what it actually is.
Alternate Names for Depression by Brianna Goux
- Attention addict syndrome
- A mental black hole
- The archangel of friendship
- The inability to cope with “no”
- The nubs of bitten off nails
- The Berlin Wall of my life
- Fake
- The ultimate civil war
- The inability to smile
- The silence between family
- The tear stains on a pillow
- Mental malleability
- Mascara marks on sweatshirt sleeves
- The ever approaching finish line
- Pill popping problem
- The crippling phobia of the unknown
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