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Monday, January 18, 2021

"Dreaming of July" by Joelle L.

 

[My writing is meant to be a metaphor for the abstract idea of the rare highs and familiar lows of depression.]

What was once a bothersome sun in April, shines anew in July. The once foregoing, mournful light that glared through my ghost-transparent curtains had begun to shine warmly upon my blankets like that good morning embrace that Mother used to gift to me with each daybreak. My feet had begun to reach the carpet with ease, just as they were lured to those liberating pedals at the base of my drive. Non-complacent roads gave birth to non-complacent thoughts, as the snaking ride slithered through illuminated early-morning trees and shrubs. The thoughts once contained within my skull had been manifested and blossomed into pure-white clouds for all to admire. An unparalleled pair of sun rays and milky cumulus enveloped my ladybug-red car, perforating my dreams until my eyelids precipitated and ranoff down the plane of my face. The sea of white promised to mute the desperate red hue of my vehicle to a soft, rosy pink; thus, a flush of a kindred tint grows upon my newly-watered and flowering cheeks.

 

Such pitiful timing, for I had not cherished the beauty and liberty while it was given, as I anxiously awaited cold winters that brought sobbing clouds. What a joy to live in the moment! If only I took to heart the laughs and smiles while they lasted.

I now drive a car of a white hue, as though it absorbed the cumulus around us and left the atmosphere trapped in an eternal mist. The car, leeched and drained of color, leads us out of the green-packed mountain; the sun follows me down and down. The sun never falls erroneously; the dim night is destined to come. The road turns dingy and feeble, and

the passengers grip the door handles and scream as we descend. They fear not the fall itself, but the dejection of the ride and the grief of losing this fleeting moment.


19 comments:

  1. This is so powerful. I love how you wrote this and I think this is such a relatable topic nowadays. I really like how you used metaphors to show this topic and emphasize what the struggle feels like. This was really touching and in some ways relatable to my own life. Great job :))

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  2. Your vocabulary is so wide and also great use of imagery. This was well said and I really enjoyed reading this!!

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  3. Your vocabulary is so wide and also great use of imagery. This was well said and I really enjoyed reading this!!

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  4. You wrote this feeling/emotion beautifully. It was truly so powerful and the use of imagery added a better sense of understanding. Amazing work!

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  5. Joelle, I am never disappointed by your incredible authenticity and the warmth that you radiate. This piece was really great to read and visualize and it described in a perfect way the transition of perspective that happens as one falls in and out of the self-realization/acceptance of their depression. I always look forward to your work and this time reminded me of that incredible poetry that you wrote in one of our english classes in freshman or sophomore year transforming your love for your friends into a comparison of the flowers that grow in the ground. You've always inspired me! -Evan Nguyen

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  6. I absolutely love this piece. I am a sucker for metaphorical writing that has a beautiful but oddly off-putting storyline on surface, and a bittersweet deeper meaning. Because of this, this piece may well be my favorite I have read all year thus far. Your imagery and description of the colors and lack thereof was powerful while your mention of fearing winter and the fall even while in the middle of summer. I can relate to that heavily and I'm sure many others can too. Wonderful writing! keep it up.

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  7. The emotion of the piece is absolutely beautiful. Every description plays an important role in the explanation of depression. I loved how you used the colors of the cars to represent the highs and lows, and I especially related to when you said, "Such pitiful timing, for I had not cherished the beauty and liberty while it was given..." You were really able to bring the audience into the extreme feelings that you depicted. Amazing job, Joelle!

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  8. I truly loved this piece. Not only were you able to accurately describe the highs and lows, but with the use of metaphors and imagery, it made this piece all the more relatable. It was beautifully written as expected and I fell in love with the way you described the colors of your car.

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  9. Everything said in this poem for sure resonates with almost everybody!! You did a great job with the story line because I just couldn't stop reading and I wish there was more!

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  10. I love all of your description and you comparing the variant of emotions to the environment and the weather, you really wrote this beautifully.
    -Leah Thompson

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  11. This is one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever read. The imagery and the emotion within the descriptions of the scenery that described an aspect of depression I never really thought about was so beautiful. I love your perspective in this piece where the hardest part isn't the depression itself, but taking for granted the moments we are free from it. Your last line is truly something I'll take with me, you are an incredibly talented writer and I adore this piece.

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  12. Hi Joelle! I loved how you intertwined imagery and the speaker's mental state, it really helps the audience to fully understand exactly what the speaker is experiencing. I especially loved the line,"non-complacent roads give birth to non-complacent thoughts." That is so incredibly poetic and profound! Amazing job!!

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  13. Your piece uses such amazing vocabulary and the way you expressed yourself through metaphors and powerful language is really amazing.

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  14. This is such a beautiful piece, I love how you shared your emotions through words and imagery. When you said "Such pitiful timing, for I had not cherished the beauty and liberty while it was given, as I anxiously awaited cold winters that brought sobbing clouds." it really resonated with me because often times I wait for the summer to arrive but forget to live in the moment.

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  15. I love the figurative language and how everything was put together, Its nice to see another persons perspective.

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  16. Joelle,

    This is just amazing. The sheer emotion that we, the readers, can feel, is unbelievable. The metaphorical comparison of emotions and weather is absolutely beautiful. The imagery of colors is so vibrant that it can actually be pictured in our heads, clear as day. This is truly an amazing piece of writing! Thank you for sharing with us!

    -Jesse Ortiz

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  17. Wow, Joelle!! I loved this piece so much and all of the imagery that you had with each sentence really let me picture exactly what the words were saying. Reading this also felt incredibly real because I struggle with depression and have only recently begun to realize just how much I was missing out on by not taking in the good times when they come, in anticipation of the inevitable bad days (I loved the sunset metaphor btw!). This was a beautifully accurate way of portraying the hopelessness associated with depression. Great job! -Estella Poirier

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  18. I loved the imagery it made it really easy to follow. The vocabulary and expressions were also on point. Great job. -Muskaan Sandhu

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  19. You did a great job with the imagery and vocabulary. You also showed emotion in this. Good job.

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