Some keep their distance.
Some have no distance to keep.
Some sleep too much to use up the day.
Some lie sleepless all night.
Some scream at their children.
Some homeschool them in patience.
Some resume smoking and watch reruns.
Some read War and Peace.
Some pace like caged beasts.
Some walk alone by the ocean.
Some sort their socks unclutter their closets.
Some write poems, or paint.
Some prey on the desperate.
Some pray on their porches.
Some hoard.
Some run out of food.
Some make money.
Some make love, maybe babies.
Some have no wages. Others, no masks.
Some keep calm and bake bread.
Some check the Dow daily.
Some tend their gardens.
Some come too close.
Some bridge the distance with music.
Some feel low.
Some get high.
Some, afraid to be alone,
Still gather, even now.
Some do only for themselves.
Some do unto others.
Some are grieving, and will grieve again.
When it ends, some
will change their lives.
Submitted by Miriam Aroner, Contra Costa County – El Cerrito.