Black Dog Mind

Black Dog Mind
(for Jayne)

Black dog barks
at the black dwarf,
a star which can
no longer emit light.
Like that star,
my energy is waning
away to nothingness as
depression takes its bite.
Black dog howls
outside my window,
letting me know
of his presence.
I'm not likely
to forget this
black dog of despair,
feeding on my darkest
emotions and thoughts.
He follows me down
the tunnels of timeless,
anguished hopelessness,
in my darkest hour,
dogging my every footfall,
attracted to my depression.
He invades my sleep
by entering my dreams,
bringing fear and
paranoia into my slumber,
Where, perhaps, I can turn the tide,
dreaming up the forceful effort
to strangle this black dog
with the rope of its own tail.