image by Trista Morris

The Talking Quarantine Blues

Look
Don’t touch

That’s the new reality
Shiny shops
Beloved friends
Strangers’ pets at the park

Look
Don’t touch

A massive epidemic
Of sensory deprivation
Delayed gratification
Until…when?
We don’t know

I am lucky
I have family
Whose germs I have already gotten
And vice versa
We can be close
Without fear
Mostly
But for all else…

Look
Don’t touch

I live in a city
Of perpetual construction
And renovation
All around
The latest attractions
Shout out their promises
Of diversion and enjoyment
To the empty streets
Ironic
With so many choices available
We can choose none