Together

Fear spreads faster than the virus

Like a shadow creeping slowly across the landscape

Darkness allows for misinformation, sleight of hand, disbelief

The White House swings wildly from one story to another

Uncertainty tightens its grip

The nation holds its breath

Lock-down

Stay-at-home

Quarantine

Social distancing

Flatten the curve

Normalcy hits pause

We free fall down the rabbit hole,

Dragging the stock market with us

Grasping at canned beans and toilet paper

Tearing loose roots of civility, customs, and freedoms

Some have hoarded paper towels to cushion the bottom

Others land hard without anything at all

Like shadow dwellers, we grab Lysol, Clorox, hand sanitizer and flour,

Retreating to our own dark corners

Fear turns us all into bakers

The dust settles, a new normal begins

Celebrities lounge in 10,000 sq ft mansions

Domestic violence cases rise 25%

Tech workers hit resume from at home offices and carry on

Schools provide drive by meal kits so kids won’t starve

We zoom happy hours, sing alongs and church

Schoology crashes as millions of students try and log in 

There are free audio books, painting classes and workout routines

16 million people file for unemployment

Beaches in Georgia remain open

Black and brown bodies are buried in mass graves in NYC

“We are all in this together”

We are not all in this together.