In shadows deep, where doubts do creep, Echoes of failure, a chorus that seeps. Within a mind where tumult roars, A desolate landscape, my spirit explores. Every face a mirror, a reflection of dread, An army of fears, each word they've said. Yet louder still, that voice within, That brands my struggles as mortal sin. Screams that shake the inner sanctum's peace, All external noise, yet internal cease. A voice, relentless, it berates and it hails, "See you, the stalwart, how miserably fails." In the galleries of memory, each failure's etched, Each slip, each tumble, my soul is stretched. Canvassed in dark hues of despair and pain, A portrait of defeat, in my mind's silent lane. Beneath a sky bereft of stars, My soul cries out, seeks solace from scars. An end it yearns, an end to this plight, Yet fear holds firm, with a coward's might. Each moment's an epoch, every breath a fight, In this realm of despair, shrouded in endless night. Yet, the coward pauses, for it knows the truth, In the end of endings, lies not the soothing soothe. The end is but a chapter closed, Not a balm for the wounds exposed. Yet courage lies not in seeking the end, But in facing the storm, unbowed, unbent. So, I summon the strength, from depths unknown, In the heart of despair, a seed of hope is sown. The coward pauses, the brave persists, In the dance of life, this rhythm exists.
© 2023 Jeffrey Weese
The Stalwart’s Lament, an Echo of the Unbroken” is a deeply personal journey into the heart of my life-long struggle with depression. Each stanza echoes my experiences, a testament to the countless times I’ve found myself falling deeper into the abyss of my mind, each fall lasting longer than the last.
This poem was born in the darkness, amidst the shadows of self-doubt, fear, and an unquiet mind that seemed to be in a relentless war with itself. Each line is an epitaph to the failures and mistakes that were magnified by the inner critic, the ghostly presence that has often marked my struggles as irrevocable sins.
This is not just a tale of despair though. It’s a testament to resilience, a narrative of the bravery in facing one’s deepest fears and standing unbowed and unbent against the storm. It reflects my journey, a path that, despite being fraught with scars and desolation, ultimately led to the sowing of a seed of hope in the heart of despair.
“The Stalwart’s Lament, an Echo of the Unbroken” is thus a mirror, reflecting both the darkness that can consume us and the resilience that can save us. It speaks of the unbroken spirit that persists and resists, even when every moment feels like an epoch and every breath feels like a battle.
This is not just my story, but a shared echo of the countless others navigating the same tumultuous seas, a nod to our collective struggle and strength, our shared despair and hope. In the dance of life, this rhythm persists, this rhythm of courage and vulnerability, of falling and rising. This is our lament, but it’s also our anthem – an echo of the unbroken.