ah, here is my old friend
depression
settling again onto my body
like a hazmat suit
full body coverage smothering
my every movement
encasing me in a permanent
foul mood

night time is worst
when the wind blows 
from west to east
frantic with some hidden purpose
striking the high rise blocks
swinging construction cranes
sneaking into my condo
through some crack
to make my light fixture sway
nervously

I lie in bed
flinching at each howl
at nature’s attempt to blow
the human interlopers
into the lake and start over
with the smelly marshes

and I feel utterly alone
as if nature has succeeded
but forgotten me
and I will awake to find
all humanity gone
empty like a post-apocalyptic
movie where the hero
wanders among the rubble
searching for survivors

in my case I expect
a vanished ozone layer
will render
my oh-so-important worries
about happiness, career, and love
insignificant
like old tires melted
in the newly toasty world
seeping back into the bog
from which the city sprang

but I must shake off this
melancholy
these thoughts of death
and tragedy
that recycle through my brain
on schedule
with the changing seasons

I tell myself to think
tulips and bunnies
many colored eggs
but all I can picture
are unhappy rabbits
sick from eating too much
chocolate
which is the color of the mud
that blotches my pant cuffs
and shoes

oh, joy
spring is here