Weird headspace...

I'm not fatigued any more, but I think I'm maybe still depressed. Maybe. It's hard to say.

But how do I tell the difference?

Well - yesterday, I got a copy of the collected poems of Elizabeth Bishop, and started reading.

Poetry is funny.

"Doughnut-like our life shall be
hollow in ways both small and great
except when it's not - delightfully!"

No real structure, there. But it has a meaning that can go beyond just the words. Why were those particular words chosen? Not just to express a direct thought, but to try to give a shade of meaning. What meaning?

And sometimes you need to know the person, or culture of the person, who wrote the poem. If you know I grew up in a world of yeast doughnuts (technically, I grew up in Philadelphia - which isn't world of yeast doughnuts. I was speaking metaphorically. Where was I? Oh, yeah), you know that there are often small hollows throughout doughnuts - whereas someone more used to cake doughnuts won't understand "hollow in ways both small and great" because cake doughnuts have less pronounced holes in their texture. And of course, one sort of needs to know that there are toroidal doughnuts for a "great" hollow!

Does one also need to know that the author loved doughnuts with fillings, so that the great hollow is not hollow, in a delightful way? Or is that part of culture?

Is the author really trying to equate the delights of a full life to a mere sweetened cream or jelly filling, or simply referencing the delights of the non-visible joys one might find where one might otherwise find nothing?

I'm able to read poetry, and think about it, both in general and in particular - there's some energy there. Happiness is a bit muted.

Any suggestions on particular poems that I might want to read? (Looking at you, pernishus, though anyone can offer suggestions.)