Sunday, lazy Sunday. Not really. I walked 7 1/2 miles before getting a cup of coffee and sitting in a publi c space to people watch and overhear random conversations.
Listening to chatter, breaking into the music soundtrack
Public spaces provide opportunities
To feel like normal,
But it isn’t.
At least, it isn’t what normal used to be.
What was normal?
Hugging friends and sometimes a coworker when they were having a rough time.
Jostling in crowds
Not feeling guilty when you lower your face mask to sip your coffee
Normal was occasional rudeness, occasional reasons to complain about rules
The occasional inconvenience
To the lifestyles to which you were accustomed.
We took it all for granted
And now we can’t
We will never live that life again.
It’s not like living a new life is something new.
We’ve all done it.
Transitioned from grade school to middle school to high school\
Some of us to college and beyond.
To work, marriage, being a parent, caring for a parent.
New jobs, losing jobs,
That’s life
And we were okay with it,
Even when things didn’t go our way
We weren’t subservient,
We adapted.
We adjusted.
We made it work.
We did the best we could
And some of us tried to do more.
Sure, we questioned, we complained, we tried to bend the rules
But we didn’t rebel against what life was meant to be.
Now that we are creating a new normal,
We have the chance to be more vocal
To rebel, in the name of freedom
Even though we felt free before and didn’t mind the rules.
So much has changed.
And so much feels the same.
Our lives have been turned upside down.
Those with means and foresight increased their advantage
Those at the bottom of the pyramid lost ground and gained new burdens.
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Why are some people’s voices able to cut through the white noise
And others are just background noise.
Maybe voices are a metaphor for society.
Most of us remain in the background
Even when we speak we are barely heard.
Others stand out and their voices are amplified
Even when the words are nonsense.
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Uncle Luke and Uncle John
Talking about girls they had in the basement
That’s what boys do, they tell their neices.
Beware of uncles and men who want to show you the dark.
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My mother wasn;’t too happy.
When, [fill in the blank]
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So many love songs
So many stories about stealing away, stealing love,
Hiding love, sneaking kisses, losing love, a cheating lover.
Life was more simple when we believed in Cupid
And the power of everlasting love.
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Over sixty and single
Strolling the streets alone
Still searching for a soul mate
Seeking a reason to settle down
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Verses and rambling
Snippets, phrase, quartets
Sunday afternoon musings
Wish this day could go on for longer
Hoping the words never end.
Thinking, sighing, typing, trying
Watching people with kids, friends, a partner
Wondering how they found their way to this time and place
Wondering how I got here too.
———————————————
It’s feels sad to look in the mirror
See the lines and blemishes created by time
And then I remember this isn’t the end
And smile at the memories I see in the glass
And life is good.
All that;s missing is a partner on the road.
Solo is fun, but two drivers can go further.
