An Ode to Quarantine Here, in the kitchen of many memories lies new ones. New memories of dinner amongst two people as they think about those who cannot dine with them. In the kitchen of many memories conversations are lost as hours together leave for little to be discussed. In the kitchen of many memories […]
Ode to Quarantine Here among the worn books, And the discarded notes. A half-finished puzzle, Champagne Beer and a piñata. Closed windows and locked doors. Surrounded by misinformed dread. Xenophobic values and persistent fear. The people who are comfortable taking it slow. The people who have lost everything blow by blow. Helpers, healers, and lovers. […]
“We walked as though we had sledgehammers affixed to our shoulders, and our names were Ricky. Why Ricky? You know, Ricky the mechanic. Ricky the prizefighter (or was that Rocky?). Ricky the uncle who belches the alphabet. It was a joke. Sort of.” “…as presents to one another, we went to the courthouse and stood […]
Ode to Quarantine Here, among the city, that I was forced to leave. Now I lay In an unfamiliar Apartment. Alone Surround by, People I do not know. Beautiful sun sets, Streets filled with masked people Fresh air, And a desk filled With work. Only you, Could force people apart But make them closer Weaken […]
Ode to Quarantine Here among the the pictures on the floor I ripped off my teenage Bedroom wall in Hoping to start over. Yellow paint To cover the darkness That I found Still exists. 5 coats to Keep it from peeking through. Surrounded by crippling media Face masks, Sick family members, Constant fear, Loneliness. Watching […]
Ode to Quarantine Here, among the basement, a silent sanctuary since September that resurrects in the summer sun but only creaks during the witching hour now to warm its inhabitants Surrounded by the shadows where the spiders play hide-and-seek when they’re not spinning their webs in a dusty corner while photos of the old world […]
Here, across the country, among the five I have known forever, enclosed in sixteen hundred square feet. A bedroom split in half like it always has, only now it’s reverted back to an occupied space of two. Surrounded by makeshift desks and new bookcases— blue lights flashing, distracting in the living room. Endless news ignored […]
Here, among the bedroom I grew up in, notebooks dated back from middle school, books crammed into the small, green bookshelf, overflowing into stacks on the floor. From my bed I can see the faded glow in the dark stars stuck on the old mirror. A soft purple blanket, a gift from my lover’s mother, […]
Here, in the home I’ve spent the past twelve years, in the home I did not believe I’d be back at right now longing to see friends and family. Surrounded by my seven siblings who aggravate me yet shape who I am, who I will be, my parents who have sacrificed it all to make […]
Here, among the same floorboards and green carpet I learned to walk on, at the dining room table-turned-desk, among the stacks of books I haven’t read yet, in my bedroom that is always bright, I isolate. Surrounded by half-empty bottles of hand sanitizer and the sound of the news on a constant loop, fear when […]