Stumbling Through Self-Care
In the emptiness where depression sleeps,
I washed my grief down with a chianti-dark river,
its bitter currents singing me into numbness.
I raised a toast to the starless sky, my glass
a mausoleum of denial, reflecting
only what I wished to see.
I wore the music like a second skin,
let it vibrate through my bones,
tried to shake the sadness away,
dancing with the shadows of dust left behind.
I sought solace in the twist of my curls,
hoping my own reflection would morph
into someone I don’t remember.
What few coins I had, I tossed in the air,
wishing on each as it fell, until the balance ran crimson,
debt blooming like roses on my credit card.
I unknotted love from my life,
hoping for solace in solitude,
believing that a lonely heart heals quicker.
It still clung to me: a bitter cologne in the summer heat.
Then I outran the sun, crossing borders,
but melancholy claimed me in every time zone.
In the circles of busyness, I ran,
whirling dervish, spinning out of control,
became as dizzying as what was within—
my world, a blur.
From We Alive, Beloved by Frederick Joseph (Row House Publishing, 2024). Copyright © 2024 by Frederick Joseph. Reprinted with the permission of the poet.