It's day fifty-one of her shelter-in-place,
isolation is getting harder.
At first she was fine, resigned but still positive.
She was also probably in shock, only she didn't know.
But weren't we all in shock? We had just learned
the word pandemic, and now we were living through one.
Things leveled out, she gained a few quarantine pounds,
she wrote, talked to friends on the phone, snacked, read,
watched movies, napped. She had a schedule again,
even if it looked more like a menu. She was lucky,
she was safe, she had all the necessities.
These days, she tries not to watch the news,
feels horror at the the number of sick and dead,
prays constantly for a vaccine.
And feels guilt for her white privilege,
her easy access to medicine, food, shelter.
She's still lucky, but now she's not as positive,
she's angry and incredibly sad.
But mostly, she feels helpless.
In a high risk age group, she will continue
to shelter-in-place, today, tomorrow,
for as long as it takes.
3 comments:
Marianne, this is so from the heart and so real for so many of us. Thank you for this past month and for encouraging me to take part. It really made a huge difference. And although I believe the majority of people could easily relate to your poem, I think you may have missed one important factor. "She" has a presence that was observable everyday and she made a difference in a world gone crazy. Please give her some credit.
Elizabeth
Thank you for the beautiful words, Elizabeth. I've enjoyed writing with you and hope to do so in the very near future. I appreciate your energy and enthusiasm, and your valued comments. Your words and images are always inspiring. Here's to us, my Wisconsin neighbor, closet to me in age and location! ❤️
This is wonderful, Marianne. I think it is something we can all relate to. Thanks for joining us through the month of April. Love you!
Pammy
Post a Comment