The words Whitman uses in his poem ‘Song of Myself’ repeats itself in my mind as I pace up and down the platform waiting for the phantom train to arrive, late of course, “Clear and sweet is my soul, and clear and sweet is all that is not my soul.”. Whitman uses this line to create an understanding of what it means to be fully in synch with our body and mind and also aware of our thoughts and feelings and how they may impact the people around us.

This specific line stood out to me because it acts as a reminder to myself to not allow the hustle and bustle of New York to affect me negatively. There of course will be times where we step out of this perfect character we aim for and for me it is between the hours of 8am and 9:05am where I dare not describe my soul as sweet. Along with the other hundred people I encounter on my journey to school I am fighting my way onto over crowded trains and weaving my way through crowds of tourists and city strollers, only to endure the smell of unbrushed teeth and sweaty backs.

The satisfaction I feel when I have finally arrived at my destination (school) is as if I have just run a marathon and won, it is a bitter sweet feeling where the sweet reveals itself when I can come home after a long day and say I learned something new today.

Sarah Boateng