Open with Care
My heart is swaddled in caution tape
As the city opens, I hope to be reunited
With family in other counties and states
But like the asylum inmates of “Queen of Hearts”
I feel safest at home
As an old woman I know to beware, like
Being happy it’s a sunny day but
Knowing it eventually will turn into a scorcher
Infection,
Pestilence,
Blight,
Plague,
Disease,
Death,
Rot,
Hope
The exhaustion of hope
Neighbors wave, but I can’t
See their smiles
As the city opens my senses
Are heightened, like animal
Instincts. If you’re not wearing
A mask, I’m frightened
Hoping San Francisco will lift
The Shelter in Place Order soon so I can
Visit my family in Riverside
Still Wearing masks all the time
Scared to fly on an airplane too soon
I am mindful, hopeful, but let’s not let
Haste make waste
Introverted minds like mine cannot conceive
The urgency some seem to feel for this reprieve
Hoping the anxiety of being with others
Won’t last for years
Praying for the miraculous
Vaccine that will allay tears and fears
All I want is to hit my beloved
Boxing bags. Oh I miss thee
Looking forward to the two-block
Walk to Cherry Blossom Salon
Where my locks will be trimmed, not shorn
Womxn over 50 can have long hair (and more)
Soft opening today at 4; community spiritcon2020
With special appearances by the facts (original members).
As the world spins faster reminding myself to keep
Listening to bird songs, and smell fragrant blossoms
All I could hope for everybody out and about
Clear understanding of what just happened
What is still happening
What may still happen
Open open open but don’t forget
How very fragile this all is
Original prompt: Write one line of poetry that expresses a kind of hopefulness around the County (and country’s) slow reopening.
Robin Longfield, Rose Y. Monge, Natalie Champion, Burcu Misirli Chatham, Debby Johnson, Larry Burns, Kris Lovekin, Frances T. Borella, Cindi Neisinger, Juanita E. Mantz Pelaez, Alexander Akin, Kamelyta Noor, Gudelia Vaden, Douglas McCulloh, Liz Gonzalez, Lisa Alvarez, Joseph Milazzo
Inlandia: A Literary Journey 