Poems of Pandemic Days by Alice Curley

Nothing is the same

If you have even a tiny

Sliver of a way

To do something

To help someone

In some small way

Every day

Now is the time

Now is your time

To change our days

Yes, we must follow all safety and health guidelines.

Yes, we must practice self-care to help manage this new normal.

Yes, we must stay connected with love online and remain fiercely informed.

Still with all of these measures we are missing something vital.

Hope.

Hope for good breaking news. Hope for the kind of miracle that leaves medicine and science with no explanation as to how it is possible.

Hope is a powerful life force.

We must have hope.

There is a hurt inside us all

Every person who you see

Is somewhere on the path

Of dealing with their pain

A wound finally healed

A heart recently broken

A trauma triggered

An illness resurfaced

A letting go of grief

An acceptance of a loss

A relatively okay day

A tentative sigh of relief

A return to nearly normal days

Whoever’s eyes you meet

Stranger, friend, or foe

You have the shared experience

Of surviving pain alone

On difficult days

Gratitude

Is not mandatory

Let’s hear it for the boys

Reassessing their dreams

Confessing their fears

Learning how to pronounce

Vulnerability

All their days not at the bar

Taught them who they are

Close your eyes for a moment

Remember what life felt like

Before all of this

How your heart could fill

With lightness and warmth

Without the strain of darkness

Fighting against it

Just flowing simple

Easy to feel love

As far away as it seems

From where we are today

Dare to run toward it

Writers grab your pens

Painters clean your brushes

Performers warm up your voices

What there is to say

About all this

Does not exist yet

We need you to create it

On harsh winter days
Summer is a distant dream
But it is guaranteed

With a collective sigh of relief
We stroll in the sunshine
Embrace starlit breezy nights
Voice our gratitude daily
Without reminder or reason
We effortlessly thrive
In our vibrant togetherness

Accept how things are

If you want to find freedom

Wherever you are

Sit with a springtime memory

Until it feels real

Embrace your sanctuary

However fleeting

We are all sleeping weirdly

Every time of day

Not even to rest

Just to get away

When exhaustion permits it

My pre-pandemic problems

I know I had them

But I forget what they were

Scrap your best laid plans

Until you can take my hand

Whenever we wish

With no way to go astray

Submitting a prayer

For all the healthcare workers

Who have redefined

What it means to be courageous

In this emotionally overwhelming time, our hearts have never been stronger

Feeling every high and low in an unpredictable constant stream has made our hearts brave soldiers

Put to words the feelings you would otherwise mask out of fear

Our vulnerable souls need all the love we have to give and receive

I climbed to the mountain top
With a mask in my pocket
There was no one there
No one even near
Just my deepest breaths
My acquaintances
I took for granted
Back when we were free

I spot a distant hiker
Find my mask and tie it on
As I make the view
A silent promise
On some far away spring day
When this is all forgotten
I will be grateful
When it takes my breath away

Weeks feel like decades
Endings and beginnings
Us just waiting in between
For our next tomorrow

How to live a life inside
And not lose your mind
There is an answer
Just pretend you have a choice

Because
Even a moment’s
Thought
Of a summer
Lived indoors
Is so unbearable
I have become
Well versed
In the art
Of not thinking
About it

Hope to see you soon
With a deep sigh of relief
On a summer day
I look forward
To our smile of a lifetime

My dear extraverts
Miss your lively energy
I’m not the same without you

Our future pendulum
Will surely swing
In both directions
I will want to hug
And hold hands tighter
Longer than normal
The normal before this hit

You will want to stand apart
Maybe not six feet
Two or three at least
So we cannot touch
Even if we reach

Until on some quiet night
We start to forget
Gradually resetting
To a distance that feels safe
Not dictated by past
External guidelines
Or internal fears
But by a future
Present moment
Of just yours and mine
When we are safe

Heads on our pillows
A sea of uncertain thoughts
Fading into sleep

I hear birds chirping
As if it’s morning all day
Wishing we would come outside
To grant them a reason to fly

Time for a role call
Worriers raise your hands up
Thank you for your careful plans
That rarely go astray
A sculptor of solutions
Your insomnia dreams up
In your unique thoughtfulness
Your stress betrays you
Always apologizing
For all your fretting
Dear warrior worriers
Here is what you may not know
Worry is not bad
It is only a symptom
Of the power of your heart

A quick double check
Are we all entirely sure
This is not a dream
What if we decide
Each and every one of us
To just close our eyes
For 11 peaceful seconds
Then open them together
To see the 2020
We believed was possible
In 2019

Dear Mister Squirrel
Boldly sitting on my porch
May I ask you a question
The world has changed around you
Yet you are not scared
How can that be so
When did you lose all your fear
Was it gradual
Did it happen all at once
Was it just today
That you got so brave
Tell me your secret
Of how you found your courage
Mine has gone missing
Is it there outside with you

Dancing the fine line
Between I do not
Want to bother you
And are you okay
Why does the universal
Surreal shaky sadness
Feel impolite to address
There are no straps on these boots
We should kick them off
In our authentic
United uncertainty
We have no reason
Not to wear our weariness
Like a bronze medal
We deserve to be proud of

I would never dare
No matter what the reason
Try to cut my hair
Was once my motto
But now my scissors sparkle
Calling out my name
Unlike all these days
With a simple snip or two
I don’t have to look the same