ONE YEAR OF COVID ONE YEAR OF THIS COUCH
MORE FAMILIAR THAN I EVER EXPECTED
ONE YEAR OF WEARING MASKS WORRYING
ABOUT WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I DIDN’T IMAGINE
NEVER SAID THE WORD VIRUS BEFORE
NEVER SAID ZOOM EVEN ONCE
NEVER ASKED ANYONE ABOUT WHETHER THEY’D GOTTEN THEIR SHOTS
CORONA WAS ONLY A BEER I DIDN’T DRINK
NEVER THOUGHT NO ONE WOULD COME
FOR DINNER FOR A YEAR
WE EAT QUIETLY DON’T EVER INVITE ANYONE INSIDE
WE COULD BE LIVING IN A CABIN IN THE WOODS
EXCEPT THAT WE’RE ON 77TH STREET
OVER A CLOSED RESTAURANT
SMALL HOMELESS VILLAGE ONE BLOCK AWAY
MEN SLEEPING UNDER RAFTERS
BUT TODAY IS SPRING, EVEN A SPRING
THAT MAY NOT LAST AND WE WHO USE THE WORDS
FULLY VACCINATED WITH SOME FREQUENCY
WE BEGIN, WITH CAUTION, WITH UNFAMILIAR
TREPIDATION, TO MAKE PLANS, MAYBE EVEN,
FOR TAKING A TRIP IN MAY TO SCRANTON PA.
why scranton? America's best railroad museum stopover @ the Moravian library in Bethlehem, hillariy's & prez Joe's birth places, or a slice of boysenberry pie?
It's still there. I could see it from I-380 on my way to the dentist.