...this isn't depressing to me, but seems cynical. A health dose of which isn't all bad, eh? Great write, Chris. Thanks.

Great read, Chris. You've stirred up quite a few emotions in me. Well done.

Recalling is not a bad thing! Regret or remorse is! You've hit a happy medium I think! By your note I'd say your poetry writing is a great catharsis! (It is much more than that!)

i love the middle, but it's all amazing. evokes that sort of phenomena in between real life and everything else.

And where you there watching me with my calculator doing gigantic word counts of combined documents, the other day? Seriously, though, I think we can all relate to this one. I'm not sure who the "you" is yet - may have to read again, but I really enjoyed it. There's frustration and disappointment in it but hey, it's the human experience.

Oh, of course, it's yourself you're addressing. Sorry. That mirror image again. I had one that begin very similarly, in fact, but not to a mirror. My Doppleganger was like that at the start.

Nothing wrong with writing about depression, man, if you can pull it off. And so far, I don't think there's been any problems.

I find this poem extremely moving, and I think it can be understood in various ways, which makes it even more powerful. But the way that moves me the most at the moment is the looking into the mirror and there is "the self" the same self of years past, there from the beginning. Then considering the "progressive regression" and the different aspects of self, that approach things differently now, and still the "butterfly wing" is always fluttering... the basement being the individual's memory and unconscious. I get chills reading this. Beautiful. That's what I think. No wonder you've never felt better!

I read the author's notes, yet after reading this one and thinking of it.. this could also be a great metaphor for love... thanks again for stopping by and for your kind sentiment.. alisa..;-)