Depression

1. Depression Allison Pick Faith Lee + Heewon Suh

2. Depression I come by it honestly, an heirloom passed from my father and grandmother before me. In the bed by the window she stares at the ceiling, pills untouched on the dresser. Cancer uncurls in her brain. She says she feels nothing, the heavy deadness which also weighs me down. Don't worry, love, depression comes and then goes. Soon it will be over. She says this to me. And to herself. The theme of this poem is that the sickness or depression of loved ones will weigh another down, and that it is very sad to know that someone you care about will die. The author is saying that depression is very scary and contagious.

3. Translation I come by it honestly, an heirloom passed from my father and grandmother before me. “Heirloom” stands for the depression and the illness that the father had and that the grandmother has.

4. Translation In the bed by the window she stares at the ceiling, pills untouched on the dresser. Cancer uncurls in her brain. The pills that are untouched show that the grandmother is willing to die; she wants to die. The feeling of depression is too great for her to handle , so ending it will be easier. “Cancer uncurls in her brain.” This part shows us that the depression is caused by cancer.

5. Translation She says she feels nothing, the heavy deadness which also weighs me down. Her depression numbs her pain which is why she feels nothing. The grandmother’s negativity is spreading, hurting the others around her. It is contagious and the author can feel herself being weighed down by it.

6. Translation Don't worry, love, depression comes and then goes. Soon it will be over. She says this to me. And to herself. The grandmother is trying to convince not only the author, but mostly herself. She says this aloud, replying to the author, but she is talking to herself. She is not really “there”. Her mind is elsewhere, and she is probably thinking about how miserable she is.

7. Poetic Devices