Favourite Poetry Part 2 in an Occasional Series.

 I never cease to be amazed by the incredibly talented people I have had the pleasure of  'meeting'  on Twitter. There are some fantastic paper-crafters,  painters,  musicians, knitters, seamstresses,  bloggers and authors, Reiki healers, and raconteurs. It seems that so many are gifted in some way and they generously share their talents with the rest of us  'mere mortals'. Many have become good friends and I am proud to highlight one of them on this page. So, dear reader, I give you the multi-talented  Matt  Mascarenhas , musician, blogger, IT expert and poet.  I have been particularly moved by his poetry and I am delighted that he has given me permission to include some of his work in this series of poetry blog posts.


                                      I Wonder If, That Day Those Years Ago .                                                                               
                                                                by
                                                     Matt Mascarenhas
             


                                         I wonder if, that day those years ago,
                                        A sudden storm had burst upon the town,
                                        Or 'deadly' poorliness had struck me down,
                                         Preventing me from leaving my abode.

                                         But, no, alas ! that storm or poorliness
                                         Was not to come, and out I went to catch
                                         A bus, as every other day; and half
                                         An hour later I was walking, when,

                                         Approaching college round the back, it came:
                                         A wave of misery and dread did rush
                                         Upon my person, purge the breath of life
                                         Right out of me; and happiness was gone.

                                         Would it simply have struck another day
                                         Or may I now be blessed a different way ?




This poem breaks my heart with its honesty. Its perfect description of that moment when we succumb to depression, anxiety, ennui, the 'mean reds', or whatever you care to call it.

                                        "  A wave of misery and dread did rush,
                                           Upon my person, purge the breath of life
                                           Right out of me: and happiness was gone."

 How swiftly it comes, out of the blue and completely envelopes us and we are left wondering what we did , what was said , to bring this feeling of total despair. And how the hell we could have avoided it, if , indeed, we ever could.

                                       " Would it simply have struck another day ?"

        ...............................................................................................................................................

  Are some of us destined to walk a slippery, narrow path, as if in some swamp or mire, with happiness on one side and melancholy on the other ? Will we forever be slipping one way or the other, reaching out for a branch or rock to cling to, but grasping only empty air and never finding a firm foothold, a safer , solid middle ground ?
I, luckily, rarely suffer from depression and when I do, I almost always know the cause and yet still I am asked by less enlightened people,
" What on  earth have you got to be depressed about ?"
Such a maddening question ! As though the knowing could ever be the cure ! I know that many of you suffer from anxiety and depression on a daily basis and my heart goes out to you all. There , but for fate , go many more of us .

                               
If you would like to read more of  Matts work you can find his blog page on http://miblodelcarpio.blog.co.uk/
You can also follow him on Twitter, he is @miblodelcarpio