Silence Between the Poems

Some of the silent moments that exist between the poems.

Lately, I've been juggling a lot with work, my physical and mental health, and various projects. 

Amid the stress of doctor’s appointments, therapist visits, and managing daily tasks, I discovered something unexpected. As cliché as it might sound, I found a semblance of silence through writing poetry. Over the last few months, I have been pouring my frustrations and various emotions out onto my laptop.

Struggling with emotions can be hard. However, I find it easy to express myself freely through writing. I can make it as vague and abstract as I wish. Still, like any emotional work, the more you break it down and make it less abstract, the clearer it becomes. This collection has been a creative and emotional reprieve for me and a tool while navigating difficult times.

Using poetry to navigate the exhaustion, intrusive thoughts, fleeting relief, and moments of silence has helped me a great deal. My manuscript serves as an emotional extension of myself, allowing me to examine and observe different moods.

If I had to summarize this manuscript in one sentence, I would say: Perfect Reflection is a fragmented portrait of living with depression—navigating through noise, numbness, memory, and fleeting clarity while searching for pieces of the self that remain whole. 

The title Perfect Reflection also functions as both literal and metaphorical self-examination. While it might seem like a purely dark manuscript based on the descriptions above, this collection is cyclical, much like depression, so it includes glimpses of warmth, rest, nature, memory, and connection. The beauty of mental health is that it is not linear, nor is my work.

The moments in between serve as emotional breathing spaces within the collection.

I hope to share it with everyone, even if it is a vulnerable collection. However, so is depression, and I want everyone who struggles with it to know they aren’t alone.

I see you, and so do so many others.

-Destany