Galas Have Been Cancelled
Galas have been cancelled
and the banquet halls are empty
The morning commute
is a breeze
And the subway shuts down
at night
for cleaning
Restaurants and cafés,
struggling yet with
take out and delivery,
have stacked their
tables and chairs
Hair salons, bars, museums, schools:
All shuttered
Only grocery stores are busy,
lines of masked customers,
respecting 6 feet distance
Zoom has replaced
the board room,
the meeting hall,
the classroom,
the newsroom and
late night talk shows
Telehealth is the new norm
Even chamber music
and a capella concerts,
tune up virtually,
the individual parts
performed in living rooms
across the world and
expertly edited together
Family dinners and game night,
Tiny faces in tiny boxes,
Screens within screens
Weddings, funerals, graduations
All online.
And still, the birds
begin to sing
(of open sky?)
in the green, green world
outside my lightening
bedroom
The one with whom
I share my life
sleeps soundly beside me;
Deep breath in
Deep breath out