Monday morning,Cold and steel gray,The old lady drove to the convenience storeWith steely confidenceFor milk and breadTo start her day. She strode into the store,Gathered her items,And placed them on the counter. The counter lady asked“Where your mask, sweetie?”The old lady cried out, high-pitch laughing, “Oh My God! I left it in the car!” And … More The Forgotten Mask
8/21/2020 Dear World, I am worn out from the events of the past week, the last 2 weeks, the past month, the last 8 months, the last 4 years. Like being on a succession of amusement park rides–the merry-go-round, the roller-coaster, the tilt-a-whirl, the fun house, the bumper cars. All going faster with each ride. … More A Letter in Quarantine (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #19)
June 24, 2020 2:55am What to do with two fresh lemons,gifted by a friend who drops offfresh produce every two weeks? I’ll make a pitcher of lemonade! Do I remember how? I halve the lemons and squeezethem by hand into a measuring cup,since I no longer havethe fruit squeezer I thought wasin the kitchen … More Making Do In Quarantine: A Pitcher of Lemonade (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #18)
June 16, 20204:47pm When I can’t keep up with timebecause my clocks are out of rhyme. The cell phone makes me think it istwo minutes later thanthe analog wall clock andthe cable box clock,while the kitchen stove clockis two minutes slower thanthe rest, And the car clock,two minutes faster still. There Are Days When I … More There Are Days (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #17)
June 14, 202010:50am Of all the Heroes of Covid-19braving the illness to serve us—The doctors and nurses,firemen and EMTs,grocers, meatpackers,postal workersand pizza deliverers, The lowly garbage manwas forgotten. Week by week,Month by monthof these coronavirus days, We’ve gathered our trashand recyclable waste,set them outat our curbs or in our alleys, in the full and certainknowledgethat … More The Forgotten Heroes of Covid-19 (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #16)
May 3, 20204:42pm I. Now that the cold and darknessof Winter is finally past,I‘m opening blinds and windows, Letting light and fresh air into block the fearand uncertaintythat Covid-19 has cast. No more daily briefings—though the deaths continueto mount— Today my heart is singing, beatingfor the living whoalso count: the ones who foughtand survived like … More Springing Forward, Though Covid-19’s Shadow Is Ever Present (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #14)
April 24, 2020 4:30am I keep a binder filledwith obituariesof every loved oneI have lost. The binder is dividedinto sections,each sectionin chronological order: FamilyFriends & NeighborsChurch & Community Friends In my lifetime,I have grievedfor 1 set of great-grandparents,2 sets of grandparents,My parents,1 brother, Most of my aunts and uncles,Many cousins,and a Hostof friends, … More Grief in the Age of Coronavirus (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #13)
April 23, 2020 1:30 pm They say the economy isBroken. Thousands wait in bread lines,unemployment lines, at home – searchingfor their elusivestimulus check – a paltry sum. While millionairesline their pocketsalready overflowingwith money madeoff the backs of workers who wait in bread lines,unemployment lines, at home – searchingfor their elusivestimulus check – a paltry … More The Money Grubbers (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #12)
April 18, 2020 4:57pm This morning at 7:00am, by order of Republican Governor Larry Hogan, masks became mandatory wear in any enclosed public space in Maryland (a majority Democratic state). Thanks to a timely gift of a reusable cloth mask and disposable gloves from a dear friend yesterday, I was prepared. Not that I was … More Masks and Gloves? Check! (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #11)
Maundy Thursday Am I lostAm I foundAm I savedAm I drowned Last nightHoly ThursdayI observed The 2nd nightOf Passover. A last-minute invitation From a friend.I had no other plans.So I joined in On the Zoom call. Following the Haggadah On a pdf. Drinking green teaIn place of wine.Eating taco chipsIn place of matzoh. The wind … More A Holy Trinity of Verse (My Coronavirus Diaries, Installment #9)
baltimoreblackwoman 