By Carolyn Muchhala

  In the beginning:
 We must reach out to others
 while shrinking from them. 
  
 We must be diligent in 
 washing our hands.
  
 Do Not Touch Your Face!
 Get Your Hands Off Your Face!
              
           The natural world blossomed in lockdown.
           Homo Sapiens must be an invasive species.
  
           Armchair travel is safer but boring.
           Binge-watching is safer but lonely.
  
           Zoom is no longer the sound
           of a hot rod on a race track.
  
 Halfway through:        
 That some people are more equal
 than others can no longer be denied.
  
 The essential workers in our economy—
 in our lives—are most often people of color.
  
 The essential workers in our economy—
 in our lives—are usually paid the least.
                 
            Isolation is destructive to the human soul.
            Solitary confinement exacts a steep price.
  
             Bullying has become a national sport.
             We are not all in this together.
  
 Into Year Two:  
 Our collective memory is short. What
 will be remembered? What changed?