My Pandemic Life at the Educational Park Moderna shots received with my husband At the new track facility in my hometown Built, never used as lockdown began First use? CERT volunteers open doors Vaccines from orthopedic surgeons! My second shot given by a young physician. The educational park holds multiple schools Next to this new track facility, now open When I was in a sixth grader only One school on the hillside as cows grazed . I pondered what my grade school self might Wonder seeing this future, 57 years onward. How shocking ? Two shots saved our lives With a year old pandemic sweeping by Catching over three million souls In a wake that also bred mistrust Honoring the flag ? Are you right, left? Ruby shot Oswald but Floyd dead on our screens Fifty plus years ago displayed fallout shelter Placed in our town square - what a sight It might all end in a second, no notice Try hiding young heads under school desks? Now years later masks are new shelters Injected vaccines saving lives cascading past. The educational park holds old memories: A line drive to my eye while pitching A softball to a friend, knocking me out I learned that epsom salts work well I see girls in skirts galloping across fields If not jumping ropes we warred in dodgeball My half-foot shorter eleven year old self Could not see her future husband running An outdoor track to complete a virtual 5k We had run so many BAA marathons Patriots Day ‘21 we donned running gear As golden hued forsythia lit the hillsides. The pandemic issued in unique moments So our 5k, of multiple track loops beckoned Us on that Patriots Day weekend fully Bright sun blinded us,dark clouds arose As first light sprinkles of refreshing rain Turned to hail stones as we ran for our jeep Educational park was named for a neighbor Voted “First selectman” he selected this land The cows moved on, buildings now bearing Names of farmers who worked the hillsides And one field bears a classmate’s name Who was a town coach, his name also honored. We also walked loops circumventing the park Daily with springer alert to resident ground hogs The pandemic has made our routines range local Discarded light blue masks, newly strewn refuse So many seasons passed yet i see my younger self While ahead my husband watches new forsythia bloom.
April 27, 2021
I think the world changes regardless, how can it not with almost 8 billion humans in this planet. Do I think a spotlight has been cast upon areas of life that make us uncomfortable, more than in any time in modern history, probably. But do I think there will be long term changes that will stem from this spotlight. Unfortunately no. Not in my lifetime, maybe … but for my kids kids, my future grandkids, there is hope. Systemic problems need to be corrected starting with a generation of people - my girls are 15 and 16 - and have watched our societal “norms”, or inequalities be showcased this year. They have witnessed the baffling craziness of the lengths to which someone will go to retain power, and not in a good way. This is the generation no one is paying attention to right now, but for the next election cycle, they will be front and center. These kids are old enough to make informed decisions, and could follow the election, but we’re not old enough to vote. By the next election cycle they will be old enough to vote and that could change everything for generations to come. At least a generation that might give a hoot about racial and gender equality and therefore make an impact for their own lives and future generations. Should be interesting to see that unfold.
August 1, 2021