We went bicycling after work today to a local park - only a few people there, no groups, and it's a big enough park to allow "spreading out" of individuals - keeping distance.
Just the energy in the air is so different. It actually felt like Paradise for a change. We could hear the birds singing in the vicinity of Rt 41 instead of thousands upon thousands of cars.
It's been awhile since I've written a poem. But this pertains to our present pandemic:
I Heard the Birds on 41
I heard the birds on 41
a road also known as Tamiami Trail
Stretching all the way from Tampa to Miami and back.
It was not after season quite yet in Florida
when the traffic subsided.
Something much darker loomed over
the city
state
country
world
that made previously bustling roads
look so empty.
A pandemic
creeping like an invisible hand
waiting to grab and destroy
human life and society
from all corners of the globe.
Being out in the fresh air
under sunny skies
bicycling along on my way to a park
where flowers blossomed
right by the bay.
Children with their parents
walking along
the happiness of togetherness
and peace in the air
instead of fear.
Was it fear I should have felt?
Not when I could hear the birds on 41.
Copy. MaryG12
March 24, 2020