This is a poem that I wrote last summer, and for some reason it has really been on my mind lately. It is in the "Cautionary Tales and Distress" section of my future poem book, In Pursuit of Peacocks. It is called "Dancing Man," and it was inspired by a friend of mine who struggles with depression. Making a living pursuing art, can be so incredibly difficult sometimes. This "Dancing Man" would get very down when thinking or talking about his level of success, in life. He would often see himself as unlovable, untalented and undesirable. I would see him overindulge and self-sooth with sex or booze, and the next day he would be miserable again. This poem is a reminder for me, that when things get shitty, I cannot allow myself to stay stuck in frustration for too long. I have been blessed with abundance, as have you. Now we just have to work hard daily, to be thankful for it.
Dancing Man
The Dancing Man will wear a smile,
Though only for a little while,
But when it's gone, it's far away,
And nothing Good, can make it Stay.
The Dancing Man then takes a Chance,
On quick relief from Cheap Romance.
But shameful whispers fill his brain,
'Til he's submerged in self Disdain.
The Dancing Man fills up with Beer,
With hopes to Drown all living Fear.
But when he wakes form Blacking Out,
He learns of each Destruction spout.
The Dancing Man desires Peace.
His Starving angst is now Obese.
To coax his smile to come again,
He Must Forget What Might Have Been.
The Dancing Man should Prance and Leap,
And know that when the demons creep,
His Earth-bound path was always so,
Just as the summer Berries Grow.
The Dancing Man Must Learn well, how
To give thanks for the here and now.
His gifts in life are no mistake,
God gave to him, and He can take.
JESS COFFMAN
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