From Outside In

Depression is my name
I’m otherwise known as the blues

I quietly slip in
Sometimes unnoticed

Before long I consume a person’s life
From the outside in

Soon the person you love
Seems to have slipped away

Consumed within themselves
Unable to express their all-consuming pain

Their world has shrunk
From the outside in

All hope seems to be gone
For they can’t see beyond

Help can only come from the Compassionate One
In faith pray without ceasing for the one you love

For only God can break depression’s chains
From the outside in


by Susan Wachtel
January 8, 2016

This may seem like a dark way to start the New Year, but I felt led to write this poem after seeing someone struggle with depression.  I want to bring hope to those who feel helpless as they watch a loved one’s world shrink.  Truly God can break those chains and restore hope.