Black Dog Poem by Peter Hall

The black dog has started barking
Old memories have started tracking
Emotions that again start descending.

What woke the black dog out of sleep?
That makes this pain run so deep?
My sandy eyes begin to weep.

When the black dog comes, here's the task
Keep him hidden, put on a mask
About my tears, hope no one asks.


Go to work, put on a face
Expressions to show no black dog's trace
How am I gonna act in grace? .

The black dog screams "you are dumb"
All you can eat is from life's crumbs
You won't survive until happenstance comes.

The sky is not blue & the grass is not green
Nothing is good the black dog screams
How did life turn out this mean? .


I begin to ask, "what's the lie"?
The dog is wrong, I don't want to die
What is the source of these sighs?

Slowly, slowly I see the truth
The pain subsides like an aching tooth
Perspective & love bring me a break-through.

The barking has stopped: no more dog
I'm now in the clear: no more fog
I've discovered to whom I belong! .