By Mona Mehas
PROMPT—During Covid-19 ...
In the beginning, there was panic
I took all the precautions
stayed home, wore a mask if I went out,
had food delivered, washed my groceries
with disinfectant wipes
ordered toilet paper in bulk.
I hated being alone, missed my friends.
The streets empty,
music rang from patios
Tai chi and yoga over Zoom.
Then something in me snapped
was it the loneliness, the deaths?
Lack of leadership?
Deliveries of food and alcohol
(there’s an app for everything)
I became dislocated.
No longer panicked, hibernation took over,
I ventured out when necessary
but preferred to stay home,
ensconced on my couch, new friends online
or at my table, composing a poem
the tether connecting me to the before times
grew more translucent each month
until it snapped. Unaware, my life
rose like the sun with a new normal
forever changed by a mystery virus.
Mona Mehas (she, her) writes from the perspective of a retired disabled teacher in Noblesville, Indiana, USA. A pushcart nominee, her work has appeared in over 70 journals, anthologies, and online museums. Mona’s chapbooks are forthcoming from LJMcD Communications in 2024: ‘Questions I Didn’t Know I’d Asked’ in March and ‘Hand-Me-Downs’ in July. Two of her poems received first place honors in her state contest in 2023. More at: https://monamehas.net
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