We're here, at this moment in history,
Looking out across the gulf
Trying to see the bright, free land
That we once knew and have lost sight of.
This generation, the people who are
Alive and aware at this moment,
We're going to remember forever
The battle we fought
... and won.
We're living in that sliver of Time
When History is being written
The Pandemic of 2020 will be talked about
Whether we survive to talk of it or not.
Will we ever find the normalcy we knew?
It seems unlikely. The normal will change.
Can you imagine getting a haircut,
Going to the grocery store, or standing in queue?
But years will pass, wind will blow
and a new normal will return,
Heaving with the burden of the past
and establish itself in our collective memory
We shall sigh, we shall pause a moment -
A long moment when, passing before our eyes
Would be the steep curve rising daily
Before it began to flatten. (Of course it will flatten.)
The endless cries to wash your hands,
to stay away, shut yourself up,
protect yourself, protect yourself,
To save humanity...
How we broke the chain, how we
stood together, even as we
Kept our distance from each other;
How we held our breath...
The sacrifices, the hardwork,
the never-ending worries,
The optimism in the midst of terrible news
One half idle as the other half works double...
A new normal will return, fear not -
It might seem too long, but
We shall see the other side,
When the world reopens after the lockdown.
Sometimes we need a reminder.
Today, the Silence all around
Reminds us the profound truth, that...
...we're all in this together.
This has been featured in "Stories to connect us" by Commonwealth writers: https://www.commonwealthwriters.org/stories-to-connect-us/
