I Stood

In March I stood in awe of selfless healthcare workers

Without the tools to do their jobs who pressed on.

In April I stood in front of my kitchen baking and cooking

With my family while in “lockdown.”

In May I stood in front of the TV in disbelief

As the senseless death of George Floyd overtook the evening news.

In June I stood speechless as a new revolution launched

And the youth carried the torch of social justice lit by those who had gone before them.

In July I stood longing for Fourth of July picnic

And the celebration of our Independence, but are we free?

In August I stood and watched as my city burned in the

Wake of yet another senseless act, the shooting of Jacob Blake.

In September I stood trying to wade in the waters of

Virtually teaching high school students robbed of an in-person education.

In October I stood taking in the beauty of the Fall leaves

In Wisconsin, knowing this wasn’t a “normal Fall.”

In November I stood in hope as the nation went to the polls

To exercise its right to vote for the next President.

In December I stand still waiting in the empty halls of

A high school for a friendly face of a fist-bump and a return to “normal.”