Who or what would you describe as a daydreamer? There are probably as many answers to that question as there are dreamers of every stripe. Still, there are certain baseline qualities which underpin what it means to be a daydreamer.
One of them is embracive of how spoken word artist Mark Gordon navigated his personal struggles with depression to sally forth with such heartfelt poetry. Yes, we said poetry.
Mark Gordon’s first collection of poetry titled “Day Dreamer” is something a poetic stemwinder. It rouses us from our comfort zones to face some rather inconvenient truths, in order to channel the therapeutic Oomph of poetry.
“Each poem within these pages is my contribution to normalizing those conversations [around mental health], to giving a voice to those who feel silenced or misunderstood. Mental health is not always an easy topic to initiate, but through these verses, I’ve sought to make it less foreign, less distant,” says the author.
In a country where the prevalence of any mental disorder has been estimated at 24.2%, this conversation should have happened ages ago. As things stand today, we might be overwhelmed by the prevalence of anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, eating disorder and psychotic syndrome disorders common amongst children and adults. Research by the USA’’s National Library of Medicine, which is operated by the United States federal government and is the world's largest medical library, presented findings which suggest that depression and anxiety disorders are common mental disorders in Uganda, affecting approximately one in four persons.
So Mark Gordon’s poetry is what poetry in Uganda should be: a resuscitative activity to breathe humanity in whatever we do or say. This way, poetry is used to cleanse us of the stain of denial. Thereby demanding our mental disorders be upswept from under the proverbial rug to banish the lies, the cover-ups and the fear surrounding this topic. It is the only way to reveal the Cracks in our lives, which is what Mark Gordon does with his poem, Cracks.
It is sad that the only light some of us experience is the light that shines an uneven glow upon through the cracks inflicted upon us. The darkness within graves such broken light as the only proof of life. Then, as if to make things worse, we have friends, family and society ganging up on us to make sure that our thoughts and actions reflect the unidirectionality and, oddly, the omnidirectionality of their outlook on life. You must show this by behaving according to the context they have ascribed to your existence.
Caged by their thoughts and actions, our wings are clipped by the gilded surrounds we ultimately find ourselves entrapped by. This feeling of being a prisoner to others’ whims is a major reason why people sink into depression.Can it be avoided? Yes, but that would mean clashing with friends, family and society. And, as proverbial swords are crossed, you are cast out into the wilderness of being alone. But maybe it need not be a wilderness. With the right attitude, it could be all the singleness of purpose one needs to survive, and thrive.
Title: Day Dreamer
Author: Mark Gordon
Price: Shs30,000
Availability: [email protected]
Pages: 109 Published: 2024
