You and Me

Recycling somewhat fetid breath
I inhale through this mask
And I wonder, do I have it?

My mask for you, your's for me

I try to smile bigger, you must see
How wide my eyes and cheeks are
And I wonder, do you have it?

My mask for you, your's for me

Washing hands is now fanatic
Touching, hugging problematic
I wonder if I'm asymptomatic

My mask for you, your's for me

Simple things now seem exotic
Longing for a time chaotic
When will the line go asymptotic?

(c) 2020, Norman Dziedzic Jr.

Juneteenth

I am not from a place
       That lets me fully understand your pain
I am not from a space
       That has shared your struggle
I am not from a path
       That has walked your miles
I am not from a race
       That has endured your trials

I am in a place
       That is learning to understand
I am in a space
       That is ready to listen
I am on a path
       To share your miles
I am in a race
       To help erase your trials

(c) 2020, Norman Dziedzic Jr.

Dogs and Fish

It seems so surreal
Moving together apart
While almost nothing has changed
Everything is different

The dogs
Ultimate empaths know
Something is amiss
But the fish don't care

And it's easy
To feel, to feel alone
And it's easy
To know, to know I
Don't know what to do

But then I hear you talk
And then I know, I know you
Feel the same, feel the same, and
In some canine way I
Feel less amiss

Covid Ghost Light

At the end of the evening
On every stage
The lamp is placed
The lamp is lit
Waiting for the next performance

This time the curtain fell hard
Almost without warning
The sound boards muffled, the
Costumes stored, the sets brought down
To save the world

And the students of the backstage
Shift from build to
Impromptu strike to a time
Without building, without making
The story come to life

But the ghost light waits for them
Warding off the plain,
The normal, the boring. Ready
To lead each back; to bring to life
The magic that lives within them

Covid Calendar

The shared calendar, techno-wonder,
Has unified our paths
Apart by miles
Together in time

Quietly connecting to the
Grand and mundane moments
Of each others' lives
Brings comfort to distance

And now we share the deleted.
The recitals, the gigs, the recordings
Each a victim, sacrificed
To save the world

But the music is only waiting
A month, a season, yearning
To fill the slots in the calendar
To fill the slots in our souls.

Why I Care

Yesterday's snow snuck in
    Overnight, mostly

A gift from this world
  Of calm
  And beauty

The forest preserve
   Stopped in time and sunshine
   A black and white image
   In this colored Milieu
   Drew a tear of joy

This world can still
   Amaze me
           Can still
   Stop my breath
   In a good way
           Can still
   Let me know
           Why I care
           Why I care

Covid Butterfly

We used to laugh and say 
 A butterfly flapped its wings in Brazil
 And triggered a tornado in Texas

We used to think of us and them
        As separate

We used to believe our oceans would
        Hinder the assault

   But now we know
           We are one
 
       Now we know
       How small an ocean is

   And now we know
       A butterfly
      Or a bat
      Or a 150 nanometer sphere

   Can trigger tornadoes
   Around the world