Sustained Solitude in Covid-19
It’s an old body with a new jacket
That was chosen without consent.
It’s a cool absence of warm auras,
Missing three-dimensional smiles.
Non-human flora & fauna besties
Constant life-affirming presences.
Periodic staving off of surrealism
And fear that this may be the end.
Bjorn is today’s host of dVerse. Bjorn says:
The prompt today is simple, just start from the word solitude and write about it. Try to avoid using the word solitude, but try instead to describe how it feels. Does it even have a scent or a sound?
Tao Talk 
I really feel the surrealism myself… there is a sense that things have come to a stop.
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I definitely feel like an ‘old body with a new jacket / That was chosen without consent’. When can I have a new body with my old jacket? I love the lines:
‘It’s a cool absence of warm auras,
Missing three-dimensional smiles.’
Oh yes!
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The longer this goes on, the further away an end seems to feel for me. I have to keep reminding myself that this is not forever.
Love that opening.
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I hear you. Thank you.
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The opening is stunning
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Thank you.
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The pleasure is mine reading your work xo
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🙂
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your closing lines are stunning too. This fear hanging over us like the Sword of Damocles…the end of days, apocalypse now; scary stuff.
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Yes, Glenn, it feels just that way. Glad you connected with the poem.
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Good description of what is missing with virtual meetings: “Missing three-dimensional smiles”
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Thank you, Frank. It’s nice to have cam connection but not the same.
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A great description of what some are going through in this time. Surreal paranoia!
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Thank you, Dwight. It comes and goes for me.
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You do create living images in your poetry.
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Thank you, Sadje.
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You’re welcome Li.
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I think the “without consent” is key. (K)
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“Cool absence of warm auras”…love it! And this is not the end, just the start of something new.
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Glad you liked it, Mary, and thank you for the supportive comment.
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I like your poem. Life does feel very surreal sometimes at present. Following on from a conversation we had a while back on another thread – the room clearing spray of Juniper and White Sage arrived in the post this morning. I sprayed my house and felt an immediate lift from the fresh tang of the Juniper. The White Sage wasn’t too heavy but seems to have gently lightened the atmosphere. I feel a little less surreal today. 🙂
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Suzanne, so glad you found a good mist! Juniper and White Sage sound like a great combination!
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Yes it’s lovely. I checked the label. It comes from a company in Florida. It must have been imported from the US before coronavirus.
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“It’s a cool absence of warm auras” I’ll vouch for that… Good poem Lisa
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Thanks Max, glad you like the poem.
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short and punchy, nicely told
… I wrote it about solitude in general not the non-consensual one!
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Thanks, Kate. Will look for yours.
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….well said and the last lines are perfect!
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Thank you, Sreeja, glad you connected with them.
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We never let go of fears.
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I suppose that we need them to stay safe but so many of them weigh on me lately whenever I let them.
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Lockdown depression is the latest challenge for mental health professionals.
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That last line is so relatable. Oh boy, the fear! I can totally feel i t.
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It’s not a good feeling. What compounds it are things like the group that keeps storming our capitol building (with weapons) and demands the governor end the lockdown.
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Oh wow, that’s horrible!
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Michigan’s Capitol building has an open-carry policy, which means that spectators in the legislative sessions can open-carry. What happened recently was a group of 400-700 protestors, some armed, were beating on the doors when the session was closed to spectators due to the volatile nature of what was happening, which was the legislature either supporting or not supporting Governor Whitmer’s decision to keep most places shut down in the state due to Covid-19.
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OMG, that’s so horrible! Some people are just awful.
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Lisa, one of your best. Stunning in its starkness.
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Linda, thank you. What’s probably the worst aspect of it is the thing I cherish probably more than anything has taken an ominous turn.
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I love that our new best friends are flora and fauna! Personally, I am really enjoying that part of our solitude. A wonderful poem Lisa 🥰
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Christine, thank you. Same here!
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Considering the abstract can offer a new perspective on an overwhelming situation.
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Good, practical suggestion, Ken, thank you.
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kaykuala
It’s an old body with a new jacket
That was chosen without consent.
Vert apt opening, Jade! We never asked for it but trussed unto us. It is how we make it out to be! Many are happy with the new found opportunity!
Hank
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Thank you for your comment, Hank.
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“Old body with a new jacket” was a perfect opening to this surreal view of life.
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Thank you, Sara.
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Apt opening, apt closing and apt in between too! Solitude is wonderful in small doses and when it is voluntary but forced solitude for prolonged period can have not asked for repercussions! Very well written, Li.
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Thank you for your understanding, Punam.
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My pleasure, Li. 🙂
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