Gloominess

Sometimes,

Gloominess—this hidden mystery lingers on my shoulders

With gloominess, my worries grow deeper

When I’m gloomy

My heart gets cold

My keen mind awake,

But there is no light to see my thoughts

Gloominess—this unwanted visitor

Shuffles the power of emptiness

When I am gloomy

I can’t read

I can’t think

I can’t bear a sudden thought of abandonment

Yet,

Behind the shadow of gloominess

I want to write about the sun,

About the last deep hours of dawn

Gloominess—this whisper of sadness

Fumbles to stay in my head

With the wind murmuring through my room

From my heart to my palms

Gloominess swelters in its unified way of being

As I write

My fingers fidget like a sleepy bird

My soul half-filled with grief

Still,

I can remember the blue sky

The sudden rush of spring wind that muddles the air

I can still remember

The wailing of the high wind by the mountain

Voices of children by the hillside

The beautiful colors of autumn leaves

And the whisper of my mother on a bleak midwinter’s night

Then,

Over the shadow of my childhood memories

The fair joy of life returns to me

Shahla Latifi

February 1st, 2020