Fortitude

“I will never get there,” as she read those words, feeling that they were directed at her. She imagined that she would never get to breathe in the exotic fragrance, touch the artifacts, or see the beauty in simple things no one pays attention to anymore. Like smelling the air in the Sistine chapel, see the sun coloring the sky with its beautiful hues as it slid slowly to bed behind the pyramids, visiting the mysterious books in Alexandria’s remaining library, smelling their souls as she turns the pages of parchment in awe of the foreign words.

She wondered when the world-wide ban was finally lifted, would she be allowed into these mysterious places. Or would they view her, with her long flowing hair, her haunting eyes, as the last carrier of this deadly virus?

Eerily she closed the book and sat it lightly on her glass table, next to her mug of coffee, as she continued placing the sneakers on her feet.

Heading out to her car, the neighbor who lives behind her was returning home from his morning walk with his dogs. Maybe it was the coolness of the air or the brightness of the sun she looked at her neighbor smiled and waved.

He returned the smile and waved, wanting to expand his morning ritual by making small conversation about the rain, the weather, or a personal question about how she and everyone in her house were faring. He proceeded to ask, knowing they were far enough apart, even though neither of them was sick with the virus, it was not allowed to be within 6 ft. of anyone as everyone skirting the stay-at-home order. As far as we knew our animals could not catch it. With some restrictions she let her cat go outside, to its usual places.

Three months the lockdown had been, the virus was supposed to be cured before the summer months. But, it wasn’t, it kept morphing and becoming new strands, affecting people of all ages. As the president had wished it was washing over the country. Depression set in, some cried empty tears of frustration, watching Youtube videos of people locked away for a decade, but had escaped to freedom by an unlikely force of nature.

Lockdown day 62

Everything has changed,

death is close,

If you wear a mask, it will not recognize you.

Cities that were colossal, populous, and brustling look like ghost towns, businesses have shut down, for rent signs are in the window, sidewalks are empty, streets have been abandon.

We no longer have birthday parties or celebrate graduation, going to church is a sin

Still in lockdown, well self-quarantined that is getting on to nearly one hundred days. States and businesses have opened up but were to soon then shut down because too many people have died from being exposed by absent-minded orderlies who don’t wear a mask and have infected people they take care of. We no longer are allowed in European countries, Mexico has built a wall to keep Americans out and Canada has a border up.

Millennials

As we are born into a new century

we rejoice in our brilliance of creating

machines

but can not cure diseases that have plagued

the human race for decades

leaving us looking like hollow creatures

with holes on our mouth, nose, and heart.

Yet in our belief of immortality, we can not

find the cure for the most common virus.

Love is a powerful feeling

when drugstore Romeo discover it like they

are the first ones to discover how free it can make you feel.