Isolation

Sadness:
at the shuttered movie theater
strangers giving a wide berth
not offering a crying friend my arms
children waving from afar
distaste at the thought of flying
grocery store bags boxes produce
all the restaurants that may not open again

Worry:
about those employees
and Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s health
and people in need
and my aging parents
and family members calling this a hoax
and my overseas friends
and everyone I love

But:
the sun shines
whales spout hello
ravens swoop and dip
wind picks up and carries us away
poppies are afire in fields
growing wild
as are my dreams

And:
I want to do a front handspring
beside the chalked jellyfish
the millionth blue of the ocean
the fine filigree leaves of blooming flowers
the whimsy of a mosaic fish
the wiener dogs on leashes
the zoom-buzz of flying hummingbirds

So:
I walk on
singing out loud to
music no one else can hear
not caring for once because
children, though afar, are waving
at me, of all things
of all people, at me