I have empathy for those more deeply impacted by the virus so I have written a sonnet about domestic/home abuse. This sonnet emphasizes the question “is it really safer at home”.
Is it really safer at home2,
When the doors are always locked,
But you’re the one being blocked,
And the place isn’t yours to own?
Should you really stay at home3,
When it’s worse than the hot spot4,
And you’re the puppet being mocked,
And you’re trapped in a cyclone?
Though I am safe, many people are not;
For their self-isolation5 isn’t a choice.
Mask 196 can help them shoot their shot,
But some are silent and left distraught,
And some are unable to share their voice,
So instead they are in danger and lost.
1 “Silent solution” is an emergency call allowing people to reach the police using their touch
phones without the need to speak.
2“Safer at home” means citizens should make an effort to stay at home, but essential and
non-essential businesses may continue to operate.
3 “Stay at home” means you should stay home except for essential movement, such as going to
the doctor or grocery store.
4 “Hot spot” means a place where there is an exceptionally large number of recorded cases of
people diagnosed as having COVID-19.
5 “Self-isolation” means staying at home away from anyone else if you have been exposed to
the virus for at least 14 days.
6 “Mask 19” is code for “I’m being abused” that women are using when they go to the pharmacy
to pick up medicine so that they can get help.
I feel as though I’ve been deprived of my high school experience because of this pandemic. I am bored of doing the same thing every day, and I miss seeing all my friends. I think after quarantine, life will progress but will be different. I will always appreciate the time spent with my friends and distant family after things settle down.
Submitted by Ava, Los Angeles County – Los Angeles.