Smiling Depressives

for all those hounded by the blackest of dogs ..

 

 Smiling Depressives

The smile they wear weary

hangs heavy,

like an old man’s thin smile ..

And with each

side of their jowls curled up

at the edges,

in truth, the heart still worn

loose on their sleeves

slowly shrivels and then most

surely, it dies ..

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Betty Hermelee]

Dar Neville
I call it a pasted smile, one that shows, but has no meaning... many of us put on a face because society tells us too or we don't want to disappoint our family; and we feel we must; but the heart aches, stabbed; pain too hard to bear but we "smile" anyway, even though we are in a dark place, perhaps near death....
Very heartfelt.....
Warmly, B

[Neville]

You have taken astuteness to a whole new level Betty .. Thank you so much for calling .. Always appreciated, yours warmly, Neville

[Betty Hermelee]

You’re very welcome Neville
Warmly
B.

[Neville]

I am indeed doubly blessed .. thank you again B :)

[John the Baptist]

As I recall, Mr. Churchill called his depressed periods his "black dogs." After a time, keeping those dogs at bay can take a tremendous effort, even with medication. Sometimes, the heart does die.

[Neville]

Absolutely John .. Thanks for seeing it my way sir.

[Ana Papaya]

A smile can be a biggest truth or the biggest lie and sometimes it's hard to tell which is which.
Thoughtful write, Neville.

[Neville]

Thanks for stopping by Ana .. Many thanks indeed :)

[In Em's Wonderland]

Smiles are sometimes hard to maintain, but they are important to have. Take a moment to find something to smile about each day OR be kind enough to make someone else smile. It can mean a lot for someone cause you never know if they're going through something where a smile is necessary. Smiles will always be special, big or small.

[Neville]

how extraordinarily write you are ma'am, thank you for calling .. I am most grateful & you are always welcome .. Neville :)

[willweb]

The forced smile, though forced insinuates energy and these smiles have hardly any. To muster enough to try and pass the situation unnoticed is a definitely feat, even though low in desire. Just to imagine the internal pain associated with this expression. Deeply sad.

[Neville]

.................... thank you willweb.

[Poetic Beauty]

Smile of depression can be one of the greatest deceptions. The eyes don’t betray the truth if we look closely

Anyway this is heart breaking with a heart on the sleeve shriveling and dying. Such ominous sadness

[Neville]

that opening sentence of yours shows considerable insight & I surely thank you for it .. but for me, it's just another day at the office .. Neville

[Poetic Beauty]

There are many that suffer from depression clinically or some it’s triggered from a recent event. Either way going through it isnt a fun time.

[Neville]

I feel for every single one who falls foul of the black dog .. when I said previously for me it is just another day at the office, I was not being flippant, I was attempting to emphasise the fact I work within the field of mental health .. thanks again PB .. Neville

[Poetic Beauty]

I see it all the time myself and I don’t work in the mental health field. So many people suffer from this imbalance. I’m not sure if it’s caused from our diets lack of sun or the chaos of the world or just something internally but there seems to be more depression than has been before

[Neville]

............ just you take care please, eat your greens and write on PB

[Poetic Beauty]

I’m good. I get moody but it only last a day or so lol

[Neville]

Phew ............. 😊👍

[Chris Shaw]

And that is what happens when the black dog settles. He eats away and is very partial to offal. The heart is a delicacy, it suffers in silence. Smiling on the outside, dying on the inside. Been there and done that. Thirty years ago. A reminder, I have been lucky not to have a repeat performance. A call out here to all those hounded by the dog.

Chris

[Neville]

not the hardest variety to treat, but regrettably often the most difficult to determine .. thanks for sharing the load Chris .. Neville