The title of this blog came from a poem I recently wrote. Writing poetry is a healing tool for me. I have been writing poetry since I was a teenager. I don’t know what made me pick up a pen and start writing poetry, but I have been writing poetry to cope with my depression for over 35 years. It is healing for me. Writing allows the thoughts depression creates to leave my mind and flow onto paper. Once the thoughts are on paper, I can process them in a healthier way. A lot of my poetry is very dark. It is full of the pain depression causes. I believe I must write it. Some may view it as a negative, but for me it is healing.
I have also found the light in my poetry. At times I can write about how I am healing. I view depression and healing as darkness and light. The light is the healing. In some of my poetry I can see myself reaching out for that light. It is often distant, but it is there.
The poem I am sharing here, demonstrates the intertwining of dark and light. It is where the title of this blog emerged.
Bent, Not Broken
The darkness surrounds me.
I have grown accustomed to its chill.
At times I do not believe I can continue.
Cracks form within me.
Tears fill my eyes.
Afraid, I lean further into the darkness,
Overwhelmed, ready to give up.
The darkness envelopes me.
Still, I try to focus on the light.
I am reminded I am not alone.
Each time I reach out,
My hand is held, and I am strengthened.
Golden streaks of light fill the cracks created by my bending.
Healing seems possible when I am held.
I bend, but do not break.
More flexible than I realized.
Bent, not broken!
Depression causes us to bend. We come close to breaking. Sadly, many people do break. With help we don’t have to break. It is a battle. It is not easy. Depression pushes and pushes, causing us to bend. Depression hurts. As long as we are fighting, as long as we are reaching out and accepting help, we can keep from breaking. Being bent is painful, but like the tree on the cover of this blog, it is still beautiful.
Check out my webpage for access to more of my poetry:
https://www.ginacapobianco.com
Check back in a couple days for my next post: What Is Depression?
It has been a struggle to come to the understanding that I bent, not broken. I am lucky to have a great team that has helped me gain this understanding. I'm glad you like the poem.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful poem Gina. Very comforting and calming. I have been going through some anxiety issues lately and after reading your poem it made me realize that yes we are bent throughout our lives but we are never broken. Thank you for sharing your lovely poem and never give up. Continue writing. I’m sure your work is reaching out and helping many people who are struggling right now.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad my poem helped. We are all bent, but there is healing out there. Depression and anxiety are dark beasts, but reach out and the help will emerge. Even though we are bent we are strong.
DeleteI will be posting more poems about living with depression. I hope you are able to relate and find a bit of connection.
Touching poem coupled with a powerful image. I kept thinking about the survival of the tree itself. All the rings that accumulate over time; all those layers that are inside that tree than remain with the tree as it ages. I felt from your poem all the ages that are inside us and how these ages are felt various times in the course of a day or a year. As you wrote, our experiences shape us and like a tree, we bend towards the light and are internally shaped. Beautiful work!
ReplyDeleteGina, yes, it’s true, like trees we hold our history inside us. But that history doesn’t have to define us. Nice writing. Roberta
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the reasons I fell in love with the image of the bent tree. There are so many ways we are similar.
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