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Notes About The Poem

Disassociating Dissonance

They fight a tough battle from the inside / out, feeling like they're trapped in a gray, gloomy world. Even on the sunniest days simple tasks like showering and/or getting dressed can feel like carrying heavy weights uphill. It's almost like they're stuck. Stuck in a cloudy haze, watching everyone else be happy while they're just barely able to keep their heads above water. But they keep fighting, taking one small step at a time. Mainly, because they refuse to give up. They're the warriors of this invisible war fighting against depression. Come join them in understanding what it's like to live with major depressive disorder.

Blessings,
Daniel Henry Rodgers

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Disassociating Dissonance

Lost -
Through an Eagle's eye
Over Fields of plenty
Where rivers and creeks
Never run dry
But I can't feel it

Mountains rising up
Touching the pink, blue,
And rustic orange skies.
I just don't know why
… I just can't feel it

I am a lost page within the novel
No one knows my inner battles
Entering another day
Of constant trials and prattles

Lost –
Through the ears
Of a Great Horned Owl
Where life's creation falls silent
Scurrying about
But I can't feel it

Forests of trees where an
Acappella choir resounds
Magically starting the day
Reverberating all around.
I just can't feel it

And the sea sprites dance
To a rhythm of time
Reaching out to my soul
Touching my heart
Seeking to free and unbind…
I cry, for I can't feel it
No, I just can't feel it

For morning becomes noon
Noon becomes day
For everything has its place
With a time to work
And a time to play
I give up, for I can't feel it
I will never feel it

I look to the four corners
Seeking answers,
But the wind is motionless
And the world, unfeeling

For such are the plans 
    I never made
          So I turn the page….

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Valsa George Date: 7/5/2024 9:01:00 PM The ones for whom I feel the greatest sympathy are the ones who are unable to see or feel the beautiful things of the world and whose minds lie like stagnant pools with no ripples. Outwardly they may seem OK but they suffer a lot internally. There are many who experience depression at one time or the other in their life, but come out of it. But some are plunged in deep depression and even medical science proves ineffectual. How miserable their life is. My heart goes out for them. With great understanding and sympathy you have got into their shoes. A great poem as any other poem of yours. Login to Reply

Duke Beaufort Date: 7/3/2024 6:46:00 AM Daniel, the depressed soul does indeed have trouble getting going and doing. It's a terrible disorder that is so hard to reverse. It's a real conundrum when someone has to get moving but can't find the motivation. I was just speaking with a family member looking for a solution, and it's hard to watch. It's painful to watch them and for anyone trying to help. The way you talk about dissociation is making me think about all this in more detail. You've described and captured the condemning fog that surrounds this condition with poetic grace. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 7/4/2024 11:55:00 AM Dear Duke, It is always a pleasure to read your comments. Each day we get a little closer to coming up with better treatments for the hard-to-treat depression. They are having some success with TMS (Trans Magnetic) therapy but it does not work on everyone. They are also having success with LSD, mushrooms (Psylocibin), Ketamine and other hallucinogens. No matter how you slice it there are those who do not respond to treatment. Thanks again! - Blessings, My Friend, Daniel

I Am Anaya Date: 6/23/2024 1:13:00 PM Clinical dep. feels like your sealed off from the beauty, love, affection that makes life worth living. I've felt at times. The ones who keep fighting "Unsung warriors" an invisible affliction to be commended God helps those who help... The opposite of clinical depression isn't happiness it's "Vitality". There is something else. Something that they cannot do "Snap Out of It!" I learned that from someone who was told constantly and couldn't. A car stuck in the mud, described. Always great work Daniel. Faving Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/26/2024 10:59:00 AM Dear Anaya, your words show how clinical sadness feels. It's not just about "getting over it"—it's about finding life in the fight. You understand those who suffer quietly. Thanks for your empathy and for Faving the poem. - Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Tonye George Date: 6/22/2024 6:59:00 PM Maybe somethings should not just be felt. Maybe it would hurt more? Depression is so tricky and uncontrollable. That's why it is said to check on the most happiest people. More like the ones we see and think they are the happiest because they always look happy. That's a problem already because there's a mask. Regardless of one's feelings and troubles, I still believe talking to someone helps. That one person that wouldn't take advantage of your vulnerable self. I have been depressed and it's not- Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/26/2024 10:56:00 AM Dear Tonye, I like your thoughts and ideas on the various aspects of depression and acknowledging those who are feeling sad all the time. It's true--many happy faces have big problems. That leads to a life that is barely worth living. As a mental health / drug and alcohol counselor, talking is key to the initial steps to seeking treatment. Making a safe and trustworthy link is huge for all with a global war going on inside. Your truth about your fights gives a new view, and the more we talk, the more we help others. Keep sharing; it helps others to understand depression and feel less alone. - Blessings My Dear Friend, Daniel Tonye George Date: 6/22/2024 7:02:00 PM A great feeling. There's no control. It walks in at any time without prior notice or invitation. on one's sad and happy moments. It reminds you that you should rather be unhappy since happiness doesn't last. It tells you, no need to love when your hurt would come anyway. It tells you to save yourself and just be unhappy because you would be sad in the end. And because there's a sense of truth, people oblige.

Kim Rodrigues Date: 6/20/2024 10:38:00 AM Wow…that would be truly awful! Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/20/2024 11:26:00 AM Dear Kim, it breaks my heart to see some of my clients struggling with this disorder, for which answers are not yet forthcoming. Thanks for your note. - Blessings, My Friend, Daniel

Andrea Dietrich Date: 6/19/2024 9:13:00 AM Love the descriptiveness here. It is a problem I have experienced only during times of strife but I have friend and family for whom it is an almost constant feeling. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/20/2024 11:24:00 AM Dear Andrea, MDD is such a huge problem for some of my clients because no matter what they do, such as medication, counseling, etc., nothing seems to work. They are now using alternative therapies such as ketamine, psilocybin, and LSD to treat this population, and it seems to be helping many of them. Thanks for your note! - Blessings, My Friend , Daniel

Victor Buhagiar Date: 6/18/2024 2:03:00 AM There is great imagery and substance in your poem. I am on medication that causes occasional depression, sometimes high, most of the time low. When on two occasions I felt lost, I deleted soup site. Now I am adamant not to do it again. A great poem with plenty of imagery. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/18/2024 8:03:00 AM Dear Victor, Thanks for your heartfelt words that you shared. You know first-hand how deeply depression can go. I always pray to be an instrument of God to bring healing to my patients who battle these disorders that are mind numbing. - Thanks Again, and Blessings, My Friend. - Daniel

Joe Maverick Date: 6/17/2024 10:20:00 PM Much content..Daniel about dis-content and How is our dis-cernment..? So many realitys To consider, yet (all is not) and cannot be owned..in truth all That exists? is merely lent..' Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/18/2024 8:01:00 AM Hello Joe, you have a great point that all that exists is merely lent. It is very sad to see individuals who cannot even appreciate the simplest of things. Thanks, My Friend, and many Blessings. - Daniel

Tom Woody Date: 6/17/2024 5:44:00 PM I've never suffered severe depression but I've been through a number of dark periods and I think I have some clue anyway. Your repeated refrain "I just can't feel .." is spot on Daniel. My close relative is bi-polar and when he's down he feels nothing. Everything is grey. A joyless existence, despite the meds. Very sad Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/18/2024 7:59:00 AM Hello Tom, like you, I have never suffered from depression, but I have had dark moments in my life. On the flip side, I work with many individuals who deal with hard-to-treat depression. Recently, there have been some very promising treatments that may bring greater hope to this population. God Bless, and Thanks, My Friend, - Daniel

Paige Hind Date: 6/17/2024 3:09:00 PM What a piece, very powerful and enlightening...enjoyed reading Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/18/2024 7:56:00 AM Dear Paige, A wonderful pleasure to see your kind note this morning. Blessings, My Friend, Daniel

Ink Empress Date: 6/17/2024 7:24:00 AM Dear daniel! Apologies for returning to your page late but wow! I must say you really did capture how one with severe depression feels like, lost and unable to feel the light, its easier said than done, and not many can comprehend how challenging it is for these individuals. I sometimes wish there is no such thing as mental health illness, seeing your title i thought the poem would be about DID. And i must say some of your lines, would resonate with many that feel this way too. How cold is the world for some… i especially felt deeply the lines “ I am a lost page within the novel No one knows my inner battles” soulfully meaningful and powerful! This is easily a fave for me for so many reasons! Thank you for sharing Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/18/2024 7:55:00 AM Dear Empress, Thank you so much for your heartfelt comments on my poem. Your understanding of the emotions behind it truly touched me. It’s not easy to express the depths of severe depression, but you captured it beautifully. Your words mean a lot. Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Suzanne Delaney Date: 6/16/2024 7:04:00 AM You have described this condition masterfully. Sad that so many become depressed in this beautiful world. It must be so difficult to counsel them but being a sounding board may help them eventually work it out themselves. A thoughtful poem. SuZ Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/17/2024 5:46:00 AM Thank you, Suzanne, for your wonderful comments and insights. Hard-to-treat depression is so complicated. I believe we have a number of well-researched treatments today that we can apply that have varying degrees of improvement. Hopefully there will be a cure one day. - Blessings, My Friend, Daniel

Heidi Sands Date: 6/15/2024 7:22:00 PM Very well written . It describes that well and the inability to feel it, to capture the positive feelings from scenery, events or surroundings , due to depression. Great poem to help others understand :) Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/17/2024 5:41:00 AM Dear Heidi, Thank you for your note and kind words. I am very appreciative of your visit. - Blessings, My Friend, Daniel

Candide Diderot Date: 6/15/2024 6:47:00 AM Is this what you feel? Or are you assuming you are in their shoes, feeling what they feel? An interesting perspective, nevertheless. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/15/2024 4:53:00 PM Hello Candide, great questions, I have been a counselor for the past 17 years and one of the populations I work with is those who battle depression. My heart goes out to them especially if they have hard to treat depression that resists medication and counseling. So the poem is based on my experience with them. Thanks my Friend, Daniel

Paul Willason Date: 6/14/2024 8:37:00 PM Very powerful poem Daniel, capturing the inner dialogue of depression, the numbness, life distilled down to an almost mechanical process. Sensitively and skilfully written, an absorbing read my friend. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/15/2024 4:51:00 PM Hello Paul, thanks and yes life does become a mechanical process if the person is to accomplish even the basics of life. I appreciate your insights my friend. - Blessings, Daniel

David Crandall Date: 6/14/2024 6:43:00 PM Great poem, Daniel. the refrain kept me going to find out how it resolves. I'm probably not seeing it right, but I see lost page in the novel telling this story, and he can't feel anything, because he's just a novel page, talking about the world in words, but not experiencing it in reality. Haha, making I'm smoking something, but I felt it is a great, sad, and poignant poem. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/15/2024 4:49:00 PM Hello David, thank you! When one fights depression the world seems so far away but somehow they see the beauty but cannot appreciate it. Being a counselor and working with this population I get to hear and see what they are going through especially those who have hard to treat depression. - Blessings, Daniel

Maria Fernandez-Garcia Date: 6/14/2024 3:34:00 PM Turning the page, that' s life, my dear Daniel. I must say that this poem made my blood run faster. It's so poignant and delightful at the same time. "I look to the four corners Seeking answers, But the wind is motionless And the world, unfeeling." How beautiful, but it makes me think that it is the right truth. I'm enchanted about this masterpiece, which I make a Fav. for me. Thank you my Daniel. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/15/2024 4:46:00 PM Dear Maria, what wonderful comments and I am thankful for your visit and insightful comments. It is a great honor to be a FAV. - Blessings, My Friend, Daniel

Mike Bayles Date: 6/14/2024 2:10:00 PM This is a sad poem, the feeling of depression well-conveyed. Writing can be an act of empathy, as this poem is. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/15/2024 4:44:00 PM Thanks Mike, yes, unfortunately those who battle depression have this very sad state that overwhelms them. - Blessings, Daniel

Silent One Date: 6/14/2024 11:24:00 AM Your poem captures a profound sense of existential disconnection and longing. The repeated refrain of not being able to feel underscores the speaker's internal struggle and emotional numbness. The natural imagery throughout the poem contrasts beautifully with your inner void, highlighting the depth of their disconnection. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/15/2024 4:42:00 PM Dear Silent One, I am thankful for your visit and always love your comments. - Blessings, My Friend, Daniel

Frank Sheehan Date: 6/14/2024 10:42:00 AM Excellent piece. Nice rhythm and flow. It captures the essence. Powerful pen. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 6/15/2024 4:41:00 PM Hello Frank, thank you for your visit and I appreciate your comments. - Blessings, Daniel