inertia
the urge to not force things to change
wanting to wait and see
favoring the distasteful known
over the cold metallic panicked taste
of uncertainty
willing the ball to roll itself on up the hill
deciding not to decide
Tag: coronavirus
love in a time of uncertainty
love in a time of uncertainty
when death hovers on the porch
and everything that usually matters
stands still
love means someone you can
show your fear
and speak its name out loud
someone who wants to
hold your hand anyway
someone who says
in all the swirl of unknown to-bes
look into my eyes
like when we’re dancing
maintaining our equilibrium
while the rest of the world dissolves
into a blur of bright color
and rhythmic noise
we’ll hold each other upright
smiling through the spin
breathless, Termas de Jurasi
breathless, Termas de Jurasi
watching how the raindrops
bounce back into the air
carrying more water with each one
how the resulting rings
spread and interfere
it takes my breath away
or maybe it’s that
we are immersed in hot springs
watching clouds rise
out of the fiery earth
or that we are up so high
all well and sparkling
even when the world is slowing down
for all those reasons
and a lifetime more
I take deep quick breaths
gazing at these three beloved faces
each one lengthening toward age
held by warm water
not worrying about what’s next
coronavirus: prejudice gone viral
coronavirus: prejudice gone viral
the man sits next to me
and I can’t help but notice
his Asian features
and the surgical mask
concealing his smile
I grimace hello
and he manages nice to meet you
I hear him talking to his friend across the aisle
in what might be Mandarin or Cantonese
although Korean or Japanese are equally possible
all I know is
they are words without resonance for me
with no cognates I can catch
and wring some meaning from
we settle in for ten hours
and his hacking cough makes an entrance
this is the worst-case scenario I think
(except for the mask, I suppose)
and I pass around the hand sanitizer feverishly
fear spreads like phages multiplying
and I inch my right arm away from his left –
it didn’t even start with the sickness, though,
this unbidden Chinese antipathy
at home, planning the trip,
we heard on and on
about their hunger for any creature
ground into powder
resources drained from around the globe
to fuel an empire
when I see the big tour groups
all the women sporting nondescript bobs
their leader invariably clutching a metal stick
with a grubby stuffy on the end
I give them a wide berth
at the Māori cultural program they shuffled along
ignoring the performers’ questions and directions –
because they didn’t understand!
I must actively remind myself now
feeling the slip toward stereotypes and judgement
I’m horrified by my own wave of aversion
how my lens warps
just how easy I am to fool
how quickly I can see
someone else as other
