On January 1, 2026, I watched Mayor Mamdani’s inauguration. Despite the inevitable theater of any political event, there was an air of authentic excitement, anticipation, and honesty on display that, despite my best intentions not to be swept up in a feeling of political romanticism, I couldn’t help but feel moved by. At the event, a writer named Cornelius Eady read one of his poems titled “Proof.” I took a line from his poem for the title of this piece and explored a feeling of restrained hope and forward momentum I felt while watching the event.