I Am Not One Who Knows/The Depths Of The Depths Poem by Shalom Freedman

I am not one who knows
The depths of the depths
The worst depressions are not mine
I go down far enough
And am down in the discouragement
Of my own perceived failure
My not being able to help or give
My worthlessness and hopelessness
And old age too close to death-
I am down far enough
But not in the depths of the depths
And not for weeks and months and years
But day after day
Struggling against myself
And able each day somehow at some time
To no longer be down and discouraged
But rather go on with a more ordinary mind
To more sanely feel some sense of goodness and pleasure
Some love of life
Each day- day after day
Down and then not so down
Able to go on
Without the depths of the depths
Somehow