Never mind this boot,
Have some bourbon and a song —
What else you doin'?
Dressing for Easter,
In seersucker and bowtie,
Pandemics can't stop.
I just want to bake,
Where has all the flour gone?
I hope you're hungry!
Guitar in my hands,
Sitting inside, hair so long,
Music gets me through.
My research on hold,
Teaching in two dimensions,
Seeking peace in life.
Reading lists grew long,
And the days grew long as well,
So I read and read.
Woman and best friend,
Long walks with masks through the woods,
Ask, who rescued who?
Squirrels still fearful,
Of my lion mane and bark,
Keeping space in trees.
Quarantine does not
Stop Nikolaj from growing.
New skills, day by day.
2020 dealt,
A lousy hand with COVID,
But we will not fold.
At home safe, but scared.
We hike, he bikes, I paint,
With takeout, we wait.
Hidden mustaches,
Cultivated with such care,
The masks mask the masc.
Quarantined at home,
So glad we have each other,
More time with Stanley.
Side alley otter,
Doesn’t have a stoop, but still —
In Fauci he trusts.
Rain drops can’t stop us,
Six Feet apart together,
Music we will make.
Two dads and twin boys,
Dino dance parties for days,
Lifetime memories.
Days and days inside,
Cooking, Working, distancing —
Level up: Bourbon.
Writer and dancer,
Take their craft to new venues,
Virtual realness.
COVID for summer,
Zooming, baking, gardening,
School’s out forever.
People time at home —
Walking, petting, and playing —
And afternoon naps.
Unexpected time.
Let us slow down and enjoy,
All love and life give.
Soaking up the firsts:
Smiles, giggles, the baby steps.
Thanks be to good health.
Trips canceled, gyms shut.
Diet Coke still delivers,
Crack can — joy returns.
Sheltering in place,
Suspended society,
Life continues still . . .
Kittens, garden, love,
Tools for mental sanity,
A balancing act.
Bike commute no more:
Work is home and home is work.
Indistinct spaces.
Peace, Adams Morgan,
Alone, but not lonely here,
Dogwoods give comfort.
Today he told me,
"I was dirty. Lit candle."
Who showers these days?
A simple gesture,
Holding hands, a warm embrace,
Just to feel normal.
Brown queer immigrants
Repudiate toxic norms,
But make it fashion.
Opening roses,
Petworth, the sun and porches,
Quarantine upside.
Walls ever closer.
I hear voices in a box.
Zooming sets me free.
More work and less play.
Hoping to feel creative,
Energy is stuck.
We spend a lot of
Time together, and we do
Still like each other.
Cakes, pies, sourdough...
Home workouts are no match for
The COVID diet!
Online connections,
With my friends and family,
Are keeping me sane.
Shut in and homebound,
Yearn for competent leaders,
Endless work ahead.
First, a time of woe,
It turned to deepen our love,
The force is with us.
Homebound together,
Our life changes rapidly,
Confined, but hopeful.
Staying home for now,
Requires balance of kids, work —
Takeout for date night.
Altogether home,
Thanking essential workers,
Praying for a cure.
Baking, books, and wine
Dog walks and streaming Broadway,
Finding the bright side.
Living new normal,
Air, nature, family, love,
Back to simpler times.
Lock-downs and distance
Can't rain on our wedding day.
Just add matching masks.
Stay-home hair grows long,
Like days — salons still shuttered,
Let's enlist, the trimmer.
Global pandemic,
A strange time to be alive,
But sweet photos help.
We live this way now,
Video games and the carbs,
While the world burns black.
Red brick, many steps.
Friday garden flowers up.
Almost Pride time.
Howie and the boys,
Biscuits, bacon, and Marys —
“Best of what’s around…”