DEPRESSION | LOSS | SUICIDE | POETRY

Old Friend

A poem about loss

Photo by Shravan K Acharya on Unsplash

I caught up with an old friend,
Over a couple of beers.
Talking ‘bout the good old days,
Rollin’ back the years.

He said he’d found a new job,
Hard work but that it helped.
To find routine and reason,
It gave him a sense of self.

Then casually he let it slip,
The way that he had felt.
Said if not for that job he got,
He might’ve topped himself.

His words landed like a punch,
I didn’t know what to say.
“Come on, don’t joke like that,” I said
“There’s a lot to live for, mate.”

He told me it’s not easy,
The struggles in his life.
There were storm clouds all around him,
We don’t know what it’s like.

He said it’s good to finally share,
It’s a battle day and night.
“To shield this candle from the rain,
And keep my flame alight.”