distance

Covid-distanced from friends and community,

I find friendships on YouTube and Amazon Prime,

following strangers into their homes

for coffee and conversation.

Even if one-sided,

it’s an interesting journey

into a world

I’d previously ignored,

and of which I was quite unaware.

Surprisingly, I find it delightful -

although a little unilateral

in this monotony.

My patterns of speech

meanwhile

seem to get rusty in the process

as they mostly remain within

While reflexes from mind to tongue

seem to slow just a bit.

I notice this

in my phone calls

to real friends of mine,

and family members,

who remain at bay

during this diseased pause

of living.

(c) 2021 by Iris. B Struller