Major Depressive Disorder (Recurrent)
by Marissa Ahmadkhani
It’s driving through fog   it’s ocean salt
on skin   lungs underwater   ragged
breath   the light when waking   the cold
bathroom floor   it’s medication   stomach turning
a body creaking   a hasty goodbye   it’s avalanche
swollen eyes   sun hitting water   splitting lips
red with wine   a mouthful of blood   dirt
under fingernails   stale air warm and thick
the sun in your eyes   erosion
the biting cold   suffocating   sharp teeth
a fast grip   everything slipping
between   my fingers
holds an MA in English from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and is currently pursuing an MFA at the University of California Irvine. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in the minnesota review, Radar Poetry,ÌýThe West Review, and poets.org, where she received the Academy of American Poets Prize in 2015 and 2017.