At least I can see your eyes –
even though they look sad and tired.
Your shoulders, too, are not the same.
They are rounded.
Perhaps an unnamed shame is weighing you down…
or maybe grief.
There is good reason for grief.
You stand at an awkward distance
as if a cloud of contagion was
surrounding me
like Pig Pen’s dust.
I feel embarrassed somehow
by the invisible cloud.
I mean you no harm, of course.
Your eyes dodge mine, anyway.
The disconnect between us,
is strange –
its wordless noise brings
a haunting isolation.
The masks have swallowed our voices.
I hope one day to see your smile…
Your dependable dimples
could always brighten my day.
But now all I see is the barrier
we all have to wear.
I miss your face.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, May 2020.
So very true to our hearts right now!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can feel it!
LikeLike
Yes…….these times are changing a lot of our usual dynamics……some are coming together and others are feeling alienated by the trappings of pandemic. I just keep believing and hoping.
Pam
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me, too.
LikeLike
Beautiful.
LikeLike
A great reflective poem on our current status of mask wearing. I especially like this line, “The masks have swallowed our voices.” Thanks for sharing.
LikeLike
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person