December 7, 2019

the Ajax Public Library

has an astonishing number of books

by an astounding number of people

discussing and affected by depression

as from a multitude of knives

each talking about this curse like they are

a poet

a clinician

a lover

a friend

a parent

a victim

a survivor

so many books

revealing so much pain

raw

like a steak

no one cared to bar-b-que

and I

but a junior member of this club

read and wonder why

why does this … thing

that joins so many together

make loneliness so real

why does this … thing

which every breath defeats

make defeat seem so near