A Poem About Sadness

Sadness.

Lately, you’ve plunged into the depths of the ocean. The ocean made of your own tears. You’re soaked. Dripping in those tears. You wish you could swim to the top, but you can’t, you’re drowning. Nobody else understands your sadness. You stay underwater, in peace, where nobody will hear you.

You’re stuck there. You’re stuck underwater. You look at the fish, and the coral reefs around you. You look at the ecosystems. All of those fish are living their best lives. Swimming around.

But you can’t swim.

You keep sinking. You’re eventually going to land at the sea bed. You don’t even bother to try and swim because what’s the point? You’re so sad that you’re probably going to fail anyways. You’re so upset, so far from home. Trapped in a labyrinth of your own thoughts, trapped in those dark places that won’t let you go.

But you can escape.

If you’re stuck in a maze, there’s always an escape, there’s a way out, a way to freedom. Don’t just wander endlessly. If you’re sinking to the bottom of the sea of your own tears, try to swim. Make it to the top. Get that precious oxygen so you can live.

Surprisingly, you see a diving mask. Maybe someone left it for you? Maybe someone who does care has given a gift? You want to go and grab it. You’re so far from everything you love, and you’re so distanced from the things that make you happy, but you know that a diving mask can help you turn things around.

It gives you time.

You grab the mask and you can see clearly. You’re no longer limited to a small radius of vision. You can see farther. That diving mask in your tear ocean helps you to see, just like how thinking for a while can help you recover. You aren’t crying anymore. You’re realising the truth, the real reason why you’re feeling like this. It may hurt, but you’re exploring your mind, that’s a good thing.

You’re ready to swim.

You swim to the surface of the ocean. You take a deep breath. You look around you, you look at the shore, and the buildings further on. You start to realise how cool the world is again. The sadness fades. You want to go out there, and enjoy yourself for a while.

Sadness is never going to last forever, because the tears will always evaporate.

❤️

Author Reflection: I’m pretty proud of the imagery I was able to create here, all relating to the ocean and drowning in sadness. I sometimes look back on this poem and I end up reading it more than once because it hits me so hard.