wondering (confined to a shoebox)

^{and lays out food in tins.}

~

as I sit –
mask lowered
as allowed –
drinking a coffee
on the edge
of the sidewalk

pedestrian strangers
wander
between me
and the shops
while
on the other side
cars patrol
under the sun
and
just before
the new lockdown
begins

they are searching
for places
to park
while they shop
very quickly
for rations

who knows
how long
it will last this time

who knows
what it might mean

and who knows
only
god knows
this seems
never-ending

in the philosophic
contemplation of
a life
that’s well lived
where does this
fall

and in
the equation of all things
a ten minute-dash
for a warm drink
in public
becomes
a daring escapade

it once was
the usual
way of life

never questioned
nor needing consideration

we grew up
as children
in an expanse of life
that knew
no horizons

we age
in a shoebox
of diminished opportunities]

and wonder
will it be
this way
until the day
we all die

~

Forgive me for rambling. We’ve had a new lockdown declared at 10:45am to take effect from1:00pm today.

I took the opportunity to wander into the township for a short time, to contemplate life over a coffee, but it has become a fraught thing to do – studying passers-by and the state of their masking. Judging whether they are valid or interloping.

These are difficult and depressing times, and not getting easier any time soon.

Be safe, my friends. Be safe.

~