The silver-lining of adverse and trying times is they can be a wellspring for creativity. 2020 has been generous in that regard. Earlier this spring I shared two poems inspired by quarantine and the change of seasons. Here is a new poem I’m working on inspired by our present moment.
CONTAGION
She has to rebuild herself,
a young woman says,
her career in clothing sales, her life.
He lost his job.
Their rent is due.
Death in the arms of bigotry.
Death by the cruelty of leaders,
Death by disease. 130,000, counting
in the America that’s great again.
The traffic jam inside my head
whispers suggestions,
shouts instructions.
Stop watching,
paint your own paintings,
get back to work.
The voices tell me, write your poems.
Run a bath or run away.
Do something.
What will you do?
Bite your finger till it bleeds.
You hear the shouts.
You read the signs.
Take off your velvet shoes.
Walk in someone else’s boots.
March barefoot through the rubble.