NaPoWriMo 2020: Postcards from the Pandemic - 3. Week Two

Postcard # 10 April 8, 2020

Cold, rainy days,

Cozy with curled up cats

And hot chili with melted cheddar and

Cold sour cream.

The rhythm of the drops

Is no longer a relaxing musical interlude,

But rather the ominous closing of a trap door,

Keeping predator and prey together.

Postcard #11 April 9, 2020

It snowed this morning.

Beautiful, fat flakes fell

Coating the world in confectioner’s sugar.

Yellow forsythia blooms shone through the white onslaught.

My black car sported a white top, like a metallic yin/yang.

Kind of like my cats as they snuggle together---black and white fur melding.

April snows are temporary though.

Like everything.

Postcard #12 April 10, 2020

I almost forgot to write today’s postcard.

It’s Good Friday,

So I ordered a fish fry for lunch.

A rare indulgence.

My plan for the week went mostly

Unfulfilled.

I suppose there’s always next week

To cross items off my to-do list.

Postcard #13 April 11, 2020

It's ok to not learn a new language,

Redecorate the entire house,

Take up a new hobby,

Or write the Great American Novel

While the world is paused.

It’s fine to indulge in an extra helping,

Go for a slightly longer walk,

Binge watch Picard in two days.

And celebrate holidays virtually.

Postcard# 14 April 12, 2020

This Easter was socially distant from family,

Like the last two years, only we had an excuse this time.

Celebrated with pancakes,

Made with almond flour and extra cinnamon,

And broccoli quiche with ham and bacon,

And brownies for dessert.

Not Mom’s brownies—gooey and undercooked, topped with vanilla ice cream,

But my ‘new normal’ ones, gluten and sugar-free.

They’re tasty, but not as good as the ‘real’ thing.

So I guess it’s just as well I enjoyed them alone.

Postcard #15 April 13, 2020

What do I want?

I want to write a positive postcard,

Even if I’m not feeling it.

So I’ll write the truth instead.

What do I want?

A return to routine and socialization,

Although I also want to stay in bed and watch YouTube videos all day.

What do I want?

To make the most of the “Great Pause”

To use this gift of time to accomplish… things.

And not feel like a failure when the play button

Starts the movie again.

Postcard #16 April 14, 2020

The reluctant sun peers through clouds

Becoming bolder as the frost melts

And flowers perk their petals skyward,

Drinking in the warmth

And return to life.

Postcard #17 April 15, 2020

100 degrees

Not what I wanted to read on the thermometer.

Headache,

Bodyache,

Digestive system rejecting all that enters.

Google says it can be lots of things.

Or is it the big ‘thing’?

The one we’re all trying to avoid?

Or is it stress and the common cold?

Am I holding my breath from anxiety

Or something else?

A hot cup of chamomile helps.