Capturing the Pandemic

|Sydney S., 17, Colorado |

A breath of fresh air,

A brother with a contagious laugh coming home. 

Face-time calls with a sister thirteen hours away, finance in tow,

Lunch with my family and a full night’s rest

This is what Covid-19 has meant to me.

I really hope you can’t see this

A mother scared of empty shelves,

A friend from Spain sent back home too early.

Seeing my grandpa every week, wondering if and when it will end;

Dry hands and empty streets,

The lack of places to put bodies in Italy

This is what Covid-19 has meant to me.

I really hope you can’t see this

A meme, a joke all to lighten reality

Computer screen flashes so often “low battery”.

The laugh of a friend through the phone and a pixelated smiling face,

The sun almost becoming a stranger

This is what Covid-19 has meant to me.

I really hope you can’t see this

A six foot hello to a passerby on the street,

A final goodbye to a person you love 

The sharing of food no longer okay

Work continues on but at what cost?

Questions upon questions bombard my thoughts

Safety, health, economy, future,

This is what Covid-19 has meant to me.

I really hope you can’t see this

A dog so snuggly,

A book and a blanket so inviting.

The sound of piano, annoyingly comforting

Chance interwoven with strategy to crush your opponents,

The possibility of beating your dad at Boggle;

Laughter fills the room because you are together

Miles that once separated you now gone.

Yet only a block or two separate you from others you cannot see;

This is what Covid-19 has meant to me.

I really hope you can’t see this

Anxiety and worry plague me,

The good and the bad clashing.

One must just look up and trust;

That someone out there has a plan

That He’s got you and won’t let go

This is what Covid-19 has meant to me.