I've participated in the Writer's Digest Poem A Day challenge in November and April since 2007. This April I'm having a tough time staying away from the coronavirus pandemic topic and how it's affecting me as I participate in social distancing. As a result many of my poems are about the COVID-19. Here's a small sample from the fourteen I've written so far, and please remember these are just first drafts. Write a new world poem. There are new worlds and there are new worlds. You could write a poem about discovery of an actual planet. Or maybe your new world is actually a state of mind—or a series of books! In a way, I consider each new challenge a bit of a new world. Let’s explore this one together. The outdoors near my home has become a whole new world for me. For years I exercised indoors in a dingy lit gym surrounded by folks I’d see everyday - some saying hi others too intent to break a smile. Now my gym is closed, and those folks are scattered in all … [Read more...]
What’s my coronavirus lockdown life like
The coronavirus, COVID-19, has indeed affected my life, as I’m sure it has affected yours. We’re all in it together to try to survive - helping ourselves and others to stay safe and healthy. I live with my eighty-three year old husband of almost fifty years, so his health and safety are on my mind much more than mine. He has had, over the last few years, mild pulmonary problems and is under a doctor’s care for high blood pressure. Fortunately, I don’t have any of the usual old folks’ ailments. I may be turning eighty in two months, but my body has never acted like it. So what’s my usual lockdown day like? First of all, I get up early. In the normal past I would get up before daylight and go to the gym every day. These days I wait until sunrise and then take a morning walk every day. I had until four days ago the perfect route. I would walk from my house to the beach and walk along the full length of the beach Strand. Unfortunately, the Strand and the beach are now closed, and … [Read more...]
