I was discussing with someone randomly the irony and sadness of the fact that Phyllis Hyman had an album entitled “Prime of My Life” and unfortunately committed suicide in said prime. If you are not familiar with Phyllis Hyman or her music, click here to get a brief synopsis. After that get familiar with a voice that I dare you to try to describe. My poem below is inspired by her life and struggles, because a lot of it is parallel to some things I have gone through in the past.
irony.
potential
is just shit I haven’t done yet
and probably won’t
maybe i was born
catalyst resistant
unhappily consistent
self loathingly persistent
and here I sit
in my alleged prime
just a number
where i can only be divided by myself evenly
your words
your praises
seem to only leave remainders of dashed dreams
and futile hoping
leaving me living all alone
in this crowded space.
depression has a strange sense of humor that way.
except i’m not laughing.
A Phyllis Hyman video for you to enjoy…
[originally posted 9-23-10]
sadness written so beautifully! Hope this was cathartic for you and that you dwell in the peace Phyllis never found
Her death is one of the saddest of all our artists. Especially because, there are herbs and medicine to treat depression. Still, we learn later on, that she was unwilling.
“potential
is just shit I haven’t done yet
and probably won’t”
captures her tone in interviews. It sounds like something she would say.
Lovely poem. Sadly, I wasn’t up on Phyllis’ work until recently when Unsung honored her life with an episode on her career. Strange because my mom loved her and had all of her records, but I’d still never heard her sing before. I remember my mom being sad when she passed though. The episode prompted me to get her greatest hits from iTunes. She was a very beautiful and talented woman. So sad to see how her life came to an end.