And these are the things I did

during COVID: planted mint and lavender
in my favorite corner of the backyard;
ground fear under my feet on miles and miles of sidewalk;
stood shoulder to shoulder with strangers
outside the courthouse while the air filled with teargas;
watched hummingbirds gather spider-silk for their nests;
stroked other peopls’s cats; went to
poetry readings on Zoom and gave a couple myself;
played blues on my computer and cursed
the fate that cancelled the festival at the Waterfront;
wrote like my life depended on it; struggled to breathe
wildfire smoke; counted hurricanes in Greek;
rushed my ballot to the dropbox the day I got it;
tilted against despair with a lance of yellow iris.

Books Available
The Day of My First Driving Lesson
Country Well-Known as an Old Nightmare's Stable
High-Voltage Lines
Knocking from Inside