Inside the Walls

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Inside the Walls

 

For a year I have looked at walls

from the outside looking in

 

A barrier meant to be breached

by gates and doorways has blocked

my passage compromised my freedom

alter my perception and confined

my experience like prison bars

 

A world of spectacular sights smells

taste and touch profoundly altered

by a year of constant denial

 

How strange it now seems to enter stores

To walk freely among masked consumers

Testing produce by touch

Observing the public behavior

of our fellow beings

recalculating right and wrong

proper and improper

 

For I have dwelled upon another planet

far from the place I know

and I have returned to find myself

a stranger in a strange land

my normal no longer normal

my instincts out of rhythm

my song out of time

 

I will rejoice for I am welcome here

My feet can find the proper pace

My mind will restore the balance

My life will find its place