I know you are ready for COVID to be over. And like me, you may have turned inward during quarantine season, spent time journaling, reflecting. Or also like me, you may have been juggling a multitude of balls while wearing different hats and trying to stay sane. Times like these call for poetry. They can be deep and thought-provoking while also being short and efficient. So here are a few of mine. Here is hoping that this coming year finds more inspiration in optimism and community rather than isolation and struggle.
The first two poems are reflections on being an introvert in a world suddenly forced into isolation. In some ways it was a relief, suddenly everyone was respecting personal space, and staying home became the norm. At the same time, true and complete isolation showed me just how much even we introverts need connection. And just how difficult it can be to cope in an entire world that is stressed, afraid, and burnt out.
Aloneness
Is different from loneliness
When you existed I was lonely
Waiting for you to reach out to me
To be the thing you needed
When you needed
But when you were gone I
Knew what it was
To be alone
And not be lonely
Bone Weary
I never really appreciated the saying
Until I understood
Just how much you can ache
Deep down
Past the stones in your gut
And the weight of your heart
To the cage of
your bones
keeping you from breathing
The last couple of years have also revealed us to ourselves. Who we are at our most vulnerable, what we are willing to tolerate, sacrifice, and fight for, as well as what we are not. I have been both proud of us and disappointed in us at the same time. I hope that we can continue to evolve into a more compassionate, generous, altruistic, and open-minded species of human.
Division
I think that some people
See this word and
Think it means
That we have
Di-vision
Two
Separate
Visions
For how the world works,
For how we should treat each other
Of what freedom means
But the word comes from
Divisio
To divide
Portion out
Like slices of apple pie
Like innings in baseball
Like a helping hand when I have enough
Original poems by Sara Tascarella 2021
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