Poem #19: Meeting Depression — Summary

So tired, so sleepy all the time I’m not hungry I guess I won’t eat I don’t want to talk I’m in a bad mood But I can’t feel at all I’m a drone going through life Not caring weather I come or go I’m not hungry again I guess I won’t eat Depression kills you if you ever meet

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Jane Odair's poem is a short, plain-spoken portrait of what depression feels like from the inside. The speaker is exhausted and sleepy all the time, has no appetite, and doesn't want to talk. The odd line is "But I can't feel at all." It comes right after a "bad mood," which suggests the speaker isn't sad in a dramatic way so much as emptied out.

The image of a "drone" captures that feeling well. A drone moves along without choosing where it goes, and the speaker says they don't care whether they "come or go." The repeated line about not being hungry makes the days seem to blur into one another, as if nothing changes. The simple, flat wording, with almost no punctuation, adds to this sense of dullness.

The last line is the bluntest. It warns that depression "kills you if you ever meet" it, ending the poem on a stark, serious note. The mood is heavy, numb, and quietly alarming.

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