Poem: Shelter in Place

Heads and bodies in sync,
We sit quietly on our sofa
as a loud wind smashes into the house,
deflecting into a dozen paths.

Inside, we stay “sheltering in place,”
As if we've avoided something,

And yet.
 
The air we breathe is shared air.
The water and plants and sky, shared.
The streets and paths and yards,
The power lines, the storm drains. 
 
When I venture out to take a walk
I see a neighborhood alive
With couples walking dogs,
Dads pushing strollers, 
Grandmas weeding,
Kids riding scooters.
A rootedness has set in that mimics a community.
But when I pass they shift away from me—
And then I remember again.
 
Together, apart—
Letting the wind blow a barrier between us 
In this strangest of strange times.
 
 
-       Meredith Alexander Kunz, April 2020