Shifts

By Mary E. Bardsley, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.

Daffodils and star flowers are blooming
Grass is growing a vibrant green
Morning walks feel warmer on pale skin
belying the threat that looms
unseen
Silent sickness
spread even from kind greetings
spoken too close to another
Grounding us to our homes
tethering us to masks and sanitizer
and fear

Press conferences abound
Those in charge
stand pompous behind podiums
of power
and say
Shelter in Place
Stay home
Socially distant
Intimate strangers
connected by disconnection

Handfuls of churches
opening doors to worship
despite restrictions
Music leaking out of
stained glass windows
with fevers
and chills
and doubt

Weddings
held in livingrooms instead
with virtual support
Simple vows
Quiet exchange of rings
despite the heavy headlines
that keep us
from imagining tomorrows

Babies are born anyway
Life pushed forth
even with the rest of humanity
having ground
to a halt

First cry comes
piercing the hearts
of parents
who are overjoyed
by what’s new
and untainted
reminding us to breathe
as others’ breaths are leaving

Hunker down
relish what we have
what our life could be
now uncomplicated
But so very complicated
all at once