Toward a Safe Social Distance
by Alan Walowitz
Out of an abundance of caution,
any dreams you might have had are cancelled.
Good sense alone would dictate
you must keep your distance from strangers–
while those you love may be thought of
kindly, for moments at a time.
Look, don’t touch is fully in effect here,
though Look must be no more than one sidelong glance,
or discreet peek from behind a pulled shade.
Shadows, themselves, are fully discouraged,
and any future-self you hoped to inhabit–
even in the safety of your own imagining–
will be delayed, at least, for the foreseeable.
Try hard not to breathe, but if you must–
No, please don’t.
It’s so unnerving to so many.
We want everyone safe and on board,
but to those who do not continue,
we offer a fond farewell.
Please know, we would have
taken you wholly as you are
and held you in the same respect
in which you’ve always wanted to be held–
but, for now, at an acceptable remove.
Those who should remember will still remember–
though, given current conditions–
not quite so long as you once might have hoped.
