NOT
IN THE LEAST WHAT I EXPECTED
Not in the least what I expected
Or hoped for
But my sons spoke to me
In their separate ways
To either demonstrate care
Or concern for being their Dad
They put me under locked-down
With their Mom, of course
In a house I call my last retreat
Or home, as it were, to set myself
Free at last – yes! Free at last!
They said to me that at my age
I am absolutely qualified
To be certified positive for COVID-19
They said it is a pandemic killing machine
Invisible to the eye, but sensitive to my lungs
And so they quarantined Father and Mother
In masks and unflinching social distancing
One in the kitchen, the other in the living-room
And us parents spin the coin of Life
To herald our fate, nothing to lose
But Time to solicit our survival
Myself in the kitchen
Mom on a sofa,
Focused on Krsna consciousness
Glowing in slokas of Bhagavad Gita
Mantras and bhajans
cheerful
Songs of my soul
Feats of Sundarakanda
Listening attentively
I wonder
How long will this last
Oh quarantined man?
A
VISION
(haiku)
Painting a vision
living in a new normal
moon emerald niche.
BEAT
IT
That
this
virus
will be strong
on the impotent
will not recce life
eternally.
By grit determination, we
shall break through its hold
social distancing
face mask
beat
it.
Leonard Dabydeen, Guyanese-Canadian free-lance writer, poet, and book reviewer. Author of Watching
You, A Collection of Tetractys Poems (2012); A Collection of Tetractys and
Fibonacci Poems (2015).
Special "THANK YOU" to the Editorial Team of distinguished SETU bilingual e-journal for publication of this June 2020 Special - LOCAL issue. And CONGRATS to stellar, literary bilingual scholar, and Dear Friend, Jaydeep Sarangi for being GUEST EDITOR for June 2020 of SETU. Appreciate to see my name on the list of selected contributors.
ReplyDeleteAll the three poems are very well crafted. Kudos ! Loved reading them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading my poems. Appreciate your comment.
DeleteInteresting revelations of an old couple...and a serious view of life...deep insightful.poetry...Congratulations
ReplyDeleteTHANKS, Jernail ji.
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