A Poem on Corona Virus

After Covid 19 

In Venice the water in the lagoons runs clear.

Fish swim, flash silver.

Green seaweed dances.

In the port, they say,

Dolphins cavort

Dipping and sweeping over and under.

And birds are back. 

Swans trail their cygnets, fluffed and gray

And Cormorants dry their wings on the docks

Watching the crystal water.

In yellow-sky China

People see blue above and white clouds.

Factories are shuttered 

Cars are parked.

Runners take deep breaths of clean air

They haven’t breathed in years

In New York City

Noise is stilled.

Yes, ambulances wail, but

No busses clog empty streets.

No planes are overhead

Tourists—gone.

We are cocooned in our mountain house

Surrounded by pond and trees.

We take long walks, seeing only two women and a dog, a biker, 

a neighbor unpacking his groceries across the road.  “Stay healthy,” he calls.

Just us two, but tethered by phone, iPad and computer

We connect with children and grandchildren.

They are sequestered too

We have time now for talks and laughs and stories.

A blessing for relationships.