Under Quarantine

Under quarantine, I am asked, along with many other people, to stay inside my house - except if I should go out for necessity’s sake. I have no quarrel with this. In fact, I count myself fortunate that I am not required to drive a semi like my husband, who has asthma. Nor must I work in a hospital, like my sister, who has to work inside one to help support her family. I am not forced to work facing a stream of customers inside a grocery store, irate because they find no toilet paper in the store. I do not have to work at any job in order to maintain health insurance or feel forced to work as a sole provider of a household. My boss has allowed me to continue working in my part-time job from the comfort of my home office, and for now, all is going well in that regard. Furthermore, I love my house! I have a comfy bed, televisions upstairs and down, computers, running water, food, and electricity. My dog is here to keep me company and my husband is with me from morning to night on days he isn't driving. Friends and family are a phone-call away. If I want, I can walk the dog on quiet blocks of my neighborhood or simply step out onto my porch, breathe fresh air and feel excitement for sunny days coming, for I have to believe that Spring IS coming for us all. Many in the world right now are not nearly so blessed as I am. I worry for my loved ones who have to leave their homes to work on “front lines” for their livelihoods and for the world’s poor who live paycheck to paycheck, or worse, may be homeless and on the streets. I worry for my husband, a good man who suffers from anxiety, facing the threat of a virus everytime he goes out on the road. Meanwhile I get to stay inside my house -and I say this thankfully, for "here" is my home - my castle - my sanctuary. April 3, 2020 for "Quarantine Poems" Poetry Contest Sponsor: Julie Leigh Rodeheaver