My depression came in as a wave
and ended up a tsunami.

I was a storm
But you made me want to be a river
the way you kept trying
to hold me
as if I wasn't an ocean
that could slip through your fingers
as if I wasn't a tsunami
that crashed into you
every time you tried to swim
as if I wasn't washing you back to shore
in warning
before you dove back in
you had to keep your head above water
just to hug me
but hugging you back
meant you drowning in my arms
I was a storm
But you made me want to be a river

Anger. Anxiety. Depression. Fear.
Imagine these feelings
Are a natural disaster.
What would they be?
Would they be an earthquake?
Making it feel hard to stay upright?
Do they create rifts
that drive you apart from loved ones?
Are they a tsunami?
Building up until one day, they burst, drowning you?
Or are they a tornado?
Just destroying everything in its path?
If you can find a way to explain what it feels like
When you're angry, anxious, depressed, or afraid,
it can be a good start to managing it.

Monk Taio Kaneta

In everyday life
we sacrifice our need to feel
without even knowing it

you looked into my eyes which always seemed to remind you of the ocean. you said your dad never told you that you may drown while admiring the waves, your smile said not being able to breathe would be worth it. I thought about how you’re like the ocean breeze, giving breath to tired lungs. you swirl the sea, placing troubled minds at ease. you built sandcastles with your voice which I began to call home but it’s quiet now, all I can hear is a tsunami and I can’t seem to catch my breath

Seismic—
                      Shock wave of energy
                    swelling ocean waves,
                  Powerfully driven
                like a freight train
              rolling fast as a jet,
            Open ocean ninja stealthily
          racing toward landfall’s
        most evil betrayal,
      Rip-tide on steroids
    sweeping away
  unsuspecting souls
                                        — Tsunami




© 2020 by Mark Toney.  All rights reserved.

The Japanese word "tsunami" translates as "harbor wave" in English.

you arrived unexpectedly
like some sort of calamity
maybe an earthquake or a tsunami
assured i was prepared
for whatever havoc
you would cause
but i never saw it coming
flooding my senses
you were all around me
and as the ground shook below
i fell with no one to catch me
and not much noticed
but with all these walls
i could have built a city
keep it locked and guarded
then you showed up with a key
surprising how you opened it
i could have sworn it was rusty
were you surprised too
when you looked inside
and found everything empty
you see
it was never a question
of casualty or severity
for how could you destroy something
that was too shattered already