Physical Isolation
(in the time of coronavirus)
Many are in despair, shouting it
from their closed houses
onto devices which were already
our major connection.
(How often have you passed
a friend in the street
with a quick wave, saying,
’See you on facebook’?)
I’m a natural hermit;
my blood doesn’t surge
for crowds, activity,
noisy conversation.
Rather, my guts cringe, tighten,
queasy at the thought.
(I can stand it one-on-one
sometimes, with special people.)
‘You’re so good with technology,’
I’m frequently told.
Unsaid: ‘and at your age!’
My dark secret – I prefer it.
Written for April 2020, Day 19 at ‘imaginary garden with real toads’, incorporating the word list: ‘despair, blood, guts, dark’, and staying within 100 words.
(I'm exaggerating for the purposes of the poem – but only a little.)
This is fantastic!💞 I love how seamlessly you have incorporated the chosen words and resonate with " my blood doesn’t surge for crowds, activity, noisy conversation." I prefer an intimate gathering of close friends! Thank you so much for writing to the prompt, Rosemary!💞
ReplyDeleteI too am one of those people whose ‘blood doesn’t surge for crowds, activity, noisy conversation’, Rosemary, and ‘can stand it one-on-one sometimes, with special people’, although I have been missing the children I usually work with.
ReplyDeleteI’m a natural hermit;
ReplyDeletemy blood doesn’t surge
for crowds, activity,
noisy conversation.
I relate to these words.. confinement feels just right to me.
;-)
Your words resonate so powerfully Rosemary. I too am a hermit by nature. I prefer intimate conversations as opposed to rooms of noisy people. Social situations like that suck the life from me. Well done!
ReplyDeleteHa.. yes there are those of us who can work so much better with all those tools.
ReplyDeleteOh, I get it. I can navigate a crowd without a problem, but when I am starved for solitude I get as jittery as a cat in a thunderstorm.
ReplyDeleteFor some, it is far easier to shelter/hunker down, and for others, desperately difficult. Especially if children are in tow. I can only imagine how "cabin fever" is setting in far too close to the skin for many. Personally, I'm used to it - living in the middle of nowhere - so it's always "weeks of isolation" and a very "stripped back" life here in rural country. And mostly, I don't mind. And I'm glad you're able to be well and safe, and not too stir crazy either. Sometimes simple really does offer us more - comfort, peace and the chance to recharge. (LOL - now, if only I could truly convince myself of this?!)
ReplyDeleteI like the tension you've set in your poem - the play of the challenges. And hey, kudos to you - for having embraced technology and used it to your best advantages. For many, as you've mentioned in a comment at my space, of a certain fabulous age, it is something overwhelming. So "quietly" rock on Rosemary - and find your happy peace. 😊