Diego is a thirteen-year old young man who leaves in Owasso, OK with his mother and brother. I am proud to be a friend of this beautiful and hardworking family.
A few days ago, Karla Aguirre, Diego’s mother, posted the poem on her Facebook and expressed both her pride and concern for her son.
We Will Come Out as Winners
By Diego.Fernandez
Hello there again.
Can’t remember how long
has it been.
I hate you
why must you still be here
in my life?
As you try to lure me
in closer & closer
with your scythe,
I hate you
& you make me hate me.
Sadly I’m not
the only who’s stuck in this well.
There are & were many
who fell.
Why can’t you leave us be?
You are a disease,
a parasite.
As we try to save
the ones who had fallen
into your evil craft
We realize
we cannot fit the entire world
into one life raft.
As we try to fight you,
the survivors go out of sight.
As you feed on us,
We give ourselves cuts
Trying to either get
you out of our bloodstream
Or to tell others how we scream.
We try to kill you with pills,
But we end up
simply giving you more kills.
You are a cancer.
sadly there is no cure for you.
And as you kill us,
you say “Right on cue.”
You act as if life is your toy to play.
Your only job in this world
is to make us decay.
When you throw a dart,
You always aim for the heart.
You try to make us put knots around our necks.
You make us drink
so we can become a wreck.
And as we put bullets in our heads,
We keep you fed.
But we will still find
the ones who have caught your plague.
While you are still trying to pull our plugs,
You will lose this cruel game.
& we will come out as the winners.
And then we shall never again
allow ourselves to be your dinner.
Oct. 5, 2015
In this Danse Macabre, Diego plays with the idea of death:
“lure me
in closer & closer
with your scythe.”
After a few lines, the poem reveals how this young man is coping with depression.
“Why can’t you leave us be
You are a disease
a parasite
As we try to save…”
I am happy he has found poetry to express the dark ruminations of depression.
Through the poem, he is fighting self-destructive thoughts, and professes his determination to win the battle.
“& we will come out as the winners
And then we shall never again
allow ourselves to be your dinner.”
His poem is a little window into this dark world of mental illness, the daily battle against an enemy that makes us self-destruct.
Leave a comment here to support Diego Fernandez. Invite him to continue writing poetry and develop his craft.
Diego. Sensitive poetry. May your winner’s spirit prevail.
Diego, I’m really impressed how you can express yourself with words like in this poem. Very mature for your age. You really connect us with the subject. All the best and stay strong mijo!
Diego, your poem reached me through the inter-web. It is a good poem and an excellent reminder of how connected we all are. Whether by visible scars, electronic data, or “just because” feelings- we are connected. It doesn’t cure the pain, I know, but your poem shows me that you know it can help.