White, David. Sea Creatures. May 15, 2024. Dave White Illustrations.

A World In Gray

Why do I feel so numb,
Watching the world drift by?
Listless under its sight,
All is black and white.

Colors drained from my eyes,
Every light inside me has died.
Smiles twisted into weary frowns,
Warmth turned cold, joy upside down.

Love songs fall flat,
Their melodies are hollow.
Though love may come to bat,
I’ll glance and never follow.

The sky weeps as clouds overflow,
It’s storm feeds the ocean’s breath.
My salty tears rival its woe,
A depth that no sea could possess.

I force a smile to meet my gaze,
A mask to fool the mirror’s view.
As I twisted this game I played,
There’s nothing left, no spark, no hue.

Everything in me—
Every flame, every plea—
Remains trapped, unfree,
In an unrelenting sea.

Jimenez, Kiana. “A World in Gray.” Poetic Bipolar Mind: Echoes of the Heart, 2025, p. 33.