Sitting in his passenger seat
Enjoying chocolate ice cream in the scorching heat
I felt my heart pound
Like I was being drowned.
This feeling, so strong
Like everything was wrong
Taking my breath away
As though it was my last day.
Opened the window, gasping for air
Suddenly lost in regret and despair
He didn’t notice what I was going through
How could he? It came out of the blue.
I didn’t know what it was
I thought loneliness could be the cause
Ignoring the symptoms like nothing happened
I never knew depression could make me so saddened.
Now I stay awake for countless hours
Struggling to sleep under beautiful stars
I think of that day in his passenger seat
Enjoying chocolate ice cream in the scorching heat.
2 Responses
This poem really captures how depression and anxiety can hit you out of nowhere, even in the most ordinary moments. One minute you’re just eating ice cream on a normal day, and the next you’re gasping for air and drowning in feelings you can’t explain. I think a lot of people don’t realize that’s how it works – it doesn’t always have a trigger or a reason, it just happens. And the part about him not noticing because “it came out of the blue” is so relatable. It’s hard to explain to others what’s happening when you barely understand it yourself. The ending with the insomnia and replaying that moment over and over really hits home too. Thank you for putting this experience into words, Fatima. It helps to know we’re not alone in these feelings.
The way you captured that sudden onset of panic is so real. “Like I was being drowned” – I’ve felt exactly that.