9 Months

Pandemic Poems

At the Same Time

The road is grassy, soft, inviting
The road is broken, rocky, rough
Both at the same time
Always
Both at the same time

We create this road
We rebuild it over and over everyday
With every thought that comes through our minds
Every action we take — small or great
Every book we read, site we scroll, show or movie we watch, game we play
They are all building blocks: sand, water, cement, grass, rocks

No one told me that the world would end with a whimper
With lonely people plugged into machines, tubes, wires, dying
No human at their side, no comforting touch as they breathe their last breath

No one told me that the world would end as people marched in the streets
Consumed by the fear that the restrictions represent
The fear of their productivity being stripped away
Of a stack of bills they can’t pay

No one told me that the world would end with families huddled together
Staring at screens
Machines now…