Swimming, Not Drowning: Poems

by Mari-Carmen Marin

Overview

Swimming, Not Drowning is a memoir in verse that takes the reader on the poet's journey through her struggles with an anxiety disorder that often leads to depression. The first part, "Deep Water," explores the author's childhood, family, personality, fears, disappointments, the generalized public unfamiliarity with mental illness, and other factors conducive to the onset of depression. The second part, "Drowning," depicts what it feels like to be trapped in the disabling claws of the depression monster. The last part, "Swimming," is a testament of hope, reassuring the reader that with patience, understanding, and support, everybody can learn how to "swim" the deep waters without drowning.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781734798685
Publisher:	Legacy Book Press
Publication date:	06/29/2021
Pages:	100
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.24(d)

Editorial Reviews

2022-04-08
A collection of poetry focuses on mental health struggles.

Marín, who holds a doctorate in African American literature, found inspiration for this book’s title in James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues,” a short story that reminds readers that deep water and drowning are not synonymous. It is an apt metaphor for the poet, who has suffered from anxiety and depression for much of her life. In free-verse poems, she transports readers from her childhood in Málaga, Spain, to the adolescent onset of her symptoms and her challenging adulthood. She methodically unpacks the torment she experienced from the “demon in my mind,” her “tyrant” of a brain, and a “a mob of angry people yelling” in her head. She recalls being told her troubles were all in her head by a doctor whose only solution was Valium. Confessions follow regarding the “mask I wear to chameleon / my way through each day” and how a “list of mistakes I made this past year pile up in my mind like cars.” She examines the frustration of finding the right antidepressant and how she despairs at the drudgery of everyday life. She divulges the difficulties of maintaining a marriage and parenting children while experiencing mental illness. Marín boldly confronts her own and others’ emotions and behaviors. “Mom’s silence claims / its space between the ceiling, floor, / and four walls of every room, enshrouding / the house with a smothering cloak / of unanswered questions,” she writes in “Behind Walls.” Her descriptions are vivid and tactile; a compassionate teacher comforted the author with “arms like a blanket.” Marín poignantly depicts how mental illness feels in lines like “Fear kidnaps my nerves, / ties them with electric wire,” and “I’m tired of the iron ball, / stuck in my throat.” Though she does experiment with a handful of haiku, they don’t always resonate. The poet’s writing excels when it has more room to explore.

A brutally honest and evocative account of anxiety and depression in poetry.

Kirkus Reviews