barriers to the outside
secrets
distance
privacy
safety
at a cost of claustrophobia
these walls close in
while we huddle
masking our smiles
nervous
hidden thoughts.
barriers to the outside
secrets
distance
privacy
safety
at a cost of claustrophobia
these walls close in
while we huddle
masking our smiles
nervous
hidden thoughts.
These days are quiet time
Our hectic lives forced to slow
We breathe,
thankful for lungs that work,
content to wait
until it’s safe out there.
.
In some places, there
stands Death, taking its time,
poised with scythe, to wait
as heart beats slow.
The nurses do their work;
patients struggle to breathe.
.
Breathe
deeply. There.
It’s work.
Time
slows.
We wait.
.
The entire planet waits.
Even the wind breathes
in coughs and gasps. Fast. Slow.
No more rushing here and there.
Clocks are useless. What is time?
Stay home. Avoid work.
.
If you have savings and sick leave for your work,
you can afford to wait.
Money doesn’t equal time.
Some can afford to breathe
easy, but there
are folks who can’t afford to slow.
.
It’s hard being forced to slow
down, to re-think how we work,
to consider that there
comes peace in learning to wait,
in learning to breathe,
in resting for a time.
.
So slow down and wait.
Work on your breathing.
In time, freedom will be there.
.
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A sestina is an old, French poetry form made up of 6 stanzas of sestets ending with a 3 line ‘envoi.’ Each stanza re-orders the end words of the first stanza (lexical repetition) in a specific pattern.
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Small dog,
heavy on my foot.
Scent of baking muffins
wafts down the hall.
Buzzer calls at last
Gathering
pretend belonging
watch for signs of genuine affection
play the game,
be the same,
absorbing affectations
whispered longings
Gathering
connection.
Hey, headphone man
with your head cast down,
I drive past you each day as you soldier on your way,
Always in the same place, unless you are late,
or I am early.
I try to catch your eye, but you march with determination
toward your destination.
I want to share our small connection, give a wave, or smile,
but you just stare at the ground, absorbed in the sound in your head.
Hey headphone man!
Look around!
.
.
I’ve been working on this one for ages, as I do pass this guy every day on my way to work.
He’s in the man cave
staring at the tube
occasionally laughing
When he emerges
he ignores her as she does
her thing in
her space.
He’ll walk past and head to bed
without a word,
and she’ll watch him in the hall
wondering whether
everyone feels lonely.