Depression opens a wave,
the wildest wave, of an invisible hand…
saying, "Hello" to a deafened ear
and saddened eyes. The wave is also
a series of semi-tumultuous tears
streaming down the face
with a welcomed wetness
in an emotive and physical release.
The wet wish and whimpering wave
flows out the depth and feelings
normally pinned underneath the skin.
The tattoos are the reign and rain of pain-
an itching and etching which temporarily relieves
the melancholy from mastering
the whole mind and body continuum.
The endorphins are delving dolphins
swimming within and under the cranium,
where they blossom beauty like a jubilant geranium
leaving a reddish flower high,
not so different from the opiate, the poppy-
but non-addictively pleasant.
The tears often return to the depths of the seas within.
Oceans of dolphins and a vibrant, visible wave relieve me.
Tap away, tap the depression
and leave it,
drop it,
'til it's gone.
For the deceased flowers live on my arm,
so I will wave to you someday.
Jennifer A. Fulco is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Hartford, Connecticut. She has co-edited literary magazines at the University of Connecticut and the University of Hartford. Her poetry has also been featured in The American Dissident and Transcendent Visions. Since 1986, Jennifer says she has exhibited symptoms of a bipolar disorder. She dedicates her poetry to her mother, Jane, who allowed Jennifer to concentrate on her studies and artwork. Jennifer lives in upstate New York with her sister and their two cats.