As I sank into the depths of alcoholism
depression and despair
not a soul around me seemed to care
except the man who stood next to me on the tube
whose angry eyes seemed to say ‘how dare
you stand so close to me?’
Perhaps I didn’t smell too good:
Sorry mate, did I spoil your commute?
I wrote this poem to raise awareness of the struggles faced by people suffering from depression and suicidal ideation. It has been chosen for inclusion in Through the Looking Glass, a new anthology from Indie Blu(e) publishing. I join many other fine poets including RedCat and Susi Bocks of I Write Her. I have my copy and am looking forward to reading what is sure to be an interesting and enlightening volume.
My thanks to the editors for putting together this important anthology with the purpose of ‘Reflecting on Madness and Chaos Within,’ and for including my work within it. The more we talk about mental illness, the more chance we have of breaking the stigma and helping those in need of care and understanding. Let’s keep this conversation going…
Congratulations Ingrid, and a suitably profound poem to be included include in the Anthology ..
Thank you Ivor, I’m pleased I put this one out there.
Yes .. it’s a strong piece .. I remember it well ..
I sent your review to Amazon by the way, so that should be live in the next 48 hours 😊
Thank you Ingrid… your support and kindness warms my heart … 😊😍
It is my absolute pleasure! 😊
Congratulations 🙂
Thank you 😊
Congratulations, Ingrid! A poem that makes one think.
Thank you Merril 😊
Ingrid, thank you for this poignant glimpse into despair. We ignore the pain of others every day! Congratulations on the publication of such a meaningful poem! <3
Thank you Cheryl! It’s true that we do but we do not have to continue to ignore it ❤️
Congratulations, Ingrid! Through The Looking Glass is indeed a thought-provoking and in-depth study in empathy. Hope you love reading it and am delighted you are part of it.
Thank you Jaya, it is a privilege! 😊
Congratulations, Ingrid.
I see this as wanting to be invisible, when that means not being noticed for all the wrong reasons, or wanting answers when no one understands the problem.
Thank you Ken. I’ve only posted the first stanza, but I’m afraid this comes to a very sad conclusion.
Oh this is so exciting and a wonderful piece shared to raise awareness Ingrid. I remember when you first wrote it!
Congratulations to you❣️
Thank you: it touches my heart that people remember it ❤️
💖💖❤️❣️💖 oh good.. you touched many 💖💖❤️💖❣️
😘🥰🙏🙏🙏
💖🙏
💖🙏 especially mine❣️
💖❤️🌷
Profound imagery, Ingrid! Thanks for the mention, I look forward to getting my copy to read more of my fellow poets work. <3
Thanks Susi! I would like to do a review of The Sound of Brilliance. Is it ok to use the cover photo in the post? Or if you have a promo photo you could email it to me at experimentsinfiction@protonmail.com
You’re welcome! Oh, that would be wonderful! I love that you’re offering to do that. Yes, it’s okay to use the cover photo of the book. <3
Thanks Susi, I’ll try to get that up tomorrow 😊 well done with the anthology, I really enjoyed it!
<3 Thank you so much, Ingrid!! I appreciate you!
Your poem speaks for many people and will have a strong presence in the anthology. Bravo to you!
Thank you Michele 🙏
Congratulations Ingrid. An important topic. (K)
Thank you Kerfe
Congratulations on being included in this anthology. So true – we never know what someone else is going through. Wonderful writing on this topic that should be brought more to our awareness.
Thank you! We should talk about these things openly and regularly.