Big Black Dogs
Denise Gomez
Poetry
There they come again
The Big black dogs
Sliding through the door –
Slipping beneath the table,
The Big black dogs
Sliding through the door –
Slipping beneath the table,
Skulking round your ankles
And pawing at your back.
Hot sticky breath
Clouding up the windows
The morning light turns cold.
Whole Person Care – Year One
This poem is a subtle yet hard hitting portrayal on depression. Using the metaphor of a dog is particularly effective, as it really emphasises how depression follows the patient everywhere. The fact that there are multiple ‘dogs’ shows how depression is often the result of many burdens on the patient. The last line in particular stayed with me, a moving reminder of how depression affect every factor of the patient’s life.
The poem really captures the reality of living with depression. You have bare control over it after a while, just like a dog gets attached to you after a while. It is not always there but it is most of the time and you sometimes never know its coming but always expecting it to come. You are still able to see but instead of seeing life in beautiful happy colors, its just black and dull.