In the Wake Of Shadows
In the wake of shadows
Are we all in the thick of it
Caught between silence and sound
Where the mind bears the storms unbidden
and sorrows are never unburdened
A breath, a brake, a moment too late
What if its all cause and effect
Each action a ripple each thought a wave
Unseen currents that bind and connect
They call it illness, they call it pain,
a war in the brain with no shelter from rain.
And yet we bear it like armor, like chains,
as if silence could soften the weight of a name.
What of the nights painted thick in despair,
when walls close in and nothing seems fair?
They speak of "bipolar," of highs and lows,
of minds split by a force only the sufferer knows.
One moment we’re grounded, next, lost in the air
the thin edge of mania and the heavy pit of despair.
Is it duality? A cruel twist in the soul,
a pendulum swinging, out of our control.
Sensory flood—too much, too loud,
drowning alone in the midst of the crowd.
They call it disorder, just terms and diagnoses—
yet each word a weight, each label imposes.
In every smile hides the shadow’s mark,
in laughter echoes the cry in the dark.
Depression a whisper, a silent creep,
that settles like fog in the depth of sleep.
And then there’s my friend, a father worn thin,
holding his children close, worn by the din.
Each day’s a new struggle, no aid to his name—
yet love’s his only armor, his fight through the pain.
To give all he has, to give them his best,
though he fears the future, though he knows no rest.
They are his lifeline, his hope, his light—
a love that outshines even the darkest night.
Cause and effect, an endless refrain,
how small our triggers, how wide the pain.
Is it weakness? Or bravery to face each day,
to stand in the storm, to not turn away.
So let’s break the silence, reshape the view
we all carry burdens, I carry them too.
A reminder to others, a whisper to self:
there’s strength in the struggle, there’s hope in the self.
This is dedicated to my friends Davies and Mickael, and to everyone navigating the struggles of life and health. May you find courage in the journey and strength in knowing you’re not alone.
