The subway smells like urine and the change of season.
Spring is lurking but unconvincing.
Absorb these dynamics of gravity—
collisions of trying different lives,
the sky’s growl,
and moments unkempt.
Sometimes it takes years before one knows
how to walk off a subway with pride.
Margot DeSalvo is a college composition instructor and poet. The poem featured here is part of a larger collection of pieces that illustrate the complexity of depression. Some of her work can be found in Buddylit Zine, Califragile, and Ghost City Review, among others. She was a featured poet on Sunflower Sutra’s audio podcast.