Destructive tendencies overshadow joy
Empty heart and emotionless void
Piercing silence and perpetual loneliness
Replaces peace and solitude.
Even in our darkest hours we seek the light.
Sustain our strength with firm resolve
Support each other with promises new
In higher spirits soar above the stigma and the shame
Overcome the numbness.
Never give up on tomorrow
©Alison Jean Hankinson
At d’Verse Frank challenged us to create an acrostic, and this is tonight’s offering, I might have another later, because he introduced me to some other styles and I might have a go at one of them.
I took the photos tonight down on the beach, it was a beautiful late summer dusk, I wanted to catch the seagull soaring to represent the spirit and hope at the end of the acrostic, they soar too fast and my hands are not steady enough…but I was happy with the two I managed to capture for here. This is what I do to uplift my spirit.
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Hues of Hankinson 
I really love the end… we need to support each other, the void is not a good place to be.
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Very nice poem. I like how “silence” pairs with “peace” and “loneliness” with “solitude” in the first stanza. That seems like a good description of depression. I like this line: “Even in our darkest hours we seek the light.”
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There is an ‘inbreath’ and an ‘outbreath’ to this which is delicate and profound.
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A pox on depression, nice stanza break to complete the word. I’d like to think that our poetic community helps to exorcise demons & provide hugs when needed; smile.
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Lovely photos of birds in flight. Great acrostic poem, well worded!
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Oh my. You’ve hit my depression right between the eyes. But yes we need to support each other and always always seek the light.
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“Piercing silence and perpetual loneliness / Replaces peace and solitude.” The accuracy of those lines… at least in this reader’s viewpoint… is blinding.
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You did a great job of describing the isolation and also the perspicacity of light perception, as in the dark tunnel and a great distance separates you and its end, yet the opening, the light, is what you focus on. And it burns. And it beckons. And you realize it’s the truth.
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Funny isn’t it that sense of isolation can grip you for just a moment sometimes.
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Wonderful acrostic, Alison! Your photos highlight your theme so well, soaring above the stigma and shame. Beautiful!
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Many thanks. XX
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Your pictures present the lovely lift out of depression and into the light. Beautiful poem, Alison!
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Many thanks. I love the colours of the seascape here, they are really soothing.
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Painful as it can be and frightening, it’s grip, I’m glad when those afflicted can see light on a horizon or feel relief in any way.:-)
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Truly inspirational. I love the way you have silence as “Piercing silence and perpetual loneliness
Replaces peace and solitude.”
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Many thanks. XXX
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You’ve hit the nail on the head, Alison. I like the juxtaposition in this poem and the way it moves from the darkness at the beginning of the first stanza to the seeking of light at the end, and then the ‘higher spirits’ in the second – and excellent advice: ‘Never give up on tomorrow’.
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Beautiful photos! What a special place that you live near enough to see scenery and nature like this! Your poem’s content is stunning, with or without the acrostic. Depression is such a tough tough illness….and you’ve provided some light here for those who need a breath, a light, and hope. Beautifully done.
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I love this place so much. XX
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This is so well done–and so true of depression.
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Many thanks. XX
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Beautifully written Alison and I love those photographs – what a wonderful place to walk and let the seagulls lift your spirit 💜
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Congratulations on uplifting your spirit so beautifully.
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