Katie: written by her mother, Angela Tomanio, who wrote about her daughter, Katie, an ER Nurse)

Putting on her mask she 
Readies herself for battle
Adjusting the pads over her cheeks and pinching the metal to the contours of her nose 
Once her weapons might have been foundation, mascara and blush like any young woman 
Applied as adornment 
Her choice made long ago 
Was something far different
Less alluring but more powerful 
Her shield is made of cotton fibers and elastic
And when she is wearing it the very air around her is stilled and obedient
Made to protect her from something so sinister it cannot be seen
Her strong,  beautiful face,  lit from within eyes keen and knowing
all hidden. 
A light has been dimmed
For a time,  
Her power has not
She wields it with all her strength
Using her hands and experience to save those lucky enough to find their way to her
And she will do this all night
Never stopping 
Never complaining
Never appearing to tire
Until finally the dawn comes
And Other hands, other masks take over
And she can step away
Out of the shadows of the night which had been filled with despair and death and not enough miracles 
To daylight
To sleep,
Blessed oblivion
Until it is time to put the mask on once more 

"Public Service Announcement" by James 

 I work in a city where it is bad to be good, but it is good to be considered bad. I am a bus driver, for some an essential worker. I do my part by helping steer people in our communities towards some sort of normalcy one turn at a time. But for others the fall guy! A scapegoat, a human pin cushion. Here only to serve the public, and for them to project their issues upon. But I resolve it through conflict resolution, equipped with years of “Embassador training.” With 15 years of service dealing with detours, service delays, blizzards, and confronted with a constant reminder of customers reminding you that they are dissatisfied with service that day. I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

There’s a reason why they call us operators, the system is like an artery. Each line keeps the people moving from point a to point b. Making every stop at each station, platform, or sidewalk is like the pulse of each town; ensuring that the heart of the city beats on. 

Let's have a moment of silence in remembrance for all the transit workers who lost their lives due to this Covid-19 pandemic while on the job, R.I.P, and for those who tested positive get well soon, I salute you! My condolences goes out to your valued loved ones who graciously shared you with the public during your tenure. I may not run a community service organization, but I run a outreach program. Everyday I adorn this uniform and board and alight passengers on my bus. Even with or without greetings or salutations, the irregularities the lock down and social distance caused, seems regular to me. 

So, “Stand clear of the closing doors please!” I have a schedule to keep. 

By: James Dale Just-another-hopefull-fool-love 

Perhaps: a reflection

Maybe,

if you were closer to the middle

if I were closer to the beginning

we could arrive at grinning

somewhere in the butt of this riddle

,Maybe

                                          -Trasloof

"Being that it reads both top to bottom as well as bottom to top,it’s  my take on two individuals being “almost” right for one another due to circumstances getting in the way. "

"Same Old      ~Michelle

Self-care stayed the same during quarantine— kept up the skin-care & exercise routines. 

Still over here worried bout the same old things: love, money, housing, & groceries. 

Still over here daydreaming to slow jams. 

Still making mountains. 

Still counting my chickens. 

Still biting off more. 

Still a square peg. 

Still lonely & high-strung— except with mask on. 

Evensong in a Time of Plague, by Rennie McQuilkin

On the thick, square-topped cedar posts

of a fence separating Pestilence from

a singing, trilling, wind-woven meadow,

walkers untouched by the plague have placed

umber, white, gray, red, black and ivory stones, 

some shaped like birds, some set with eyes,

some with the profiles of humankind . . .

In the gloaming, as the chapel carillon chimes,

the stones, in memory of those who have fallen,

seem faces of a world-wide choir, their robes

the posts below.  They lift voices with those

in the meadow, promising perfect health.

Super Soft, Super Comfortable Friend, poem and photo collage by Mary Panke

found poem from 30 text messages about favorite article of clothing during COVID-19

our parents allowed us to wear jeans
no words needed

pockets, socks neither soft nor pretty
make me look cool, like royalty, like safety

like recycled plastic, uneasy
vaguely ridiculous, yet somehow fashionable

On rainy days, brightly colored balls
keep my spirits high, feel like home, remind me
of my place, of being with my tribe
why I am working so hard

I like the surprise of the various blues
whenever I go, comes with me, versatile

all-purpose, always starts a conversation
walked me many places, served me well

durable, wore them all summer long
because life is just easier in flip flops

We were together when I bought it
you found it for me, my mom

gave it to me, us grandkids each got to pick one
after he passed, my grandfather’s sweatshirt

funky and soft as soft, brings back
memories, a warm hug from my little girl,

fits me perfectly, fits beautifully
I feel beautiful in it, any size or shape

always get compliments from strangers
worn always by my heart,

first thing I put on when I get home
something I turn to nightly, with upraised arms

Gabby says, “It’s my favorite clothing because--- because---
because it has beautiful colors, and it's soft, and I like it.”

Second Portrait of Self, By Emily de la Rocha
Oil on panel 36 x 36 in.2020

Daughter/Mother Collaboration during Covid-19 

Face Covering

By Kelly de la Rocha (mother of Emily de la Rocha: painter)

Blue paper face masks are a fixture
on the kitchen island now.
I hardly notice them anymore,
but can’t ignore
the plastic sandwich bag that protects them.
It’s just like the ones
I’d put in Emily’s lunch box
back when the world was
ham and cheese sandwiches.

Home from college,
senior year cut coronavirus short,
she wanders downstairs around 11
in paint-spattered sweats
to toast frozen waffles.

When the kitchen island
was all zinnias,
she would muse about whether
she had enough angst
in her life to be an artist.
Now she’s upstairs creating
a self-portrait that’s haunted eyes
and one hand over her mouth
like a mask.

Emily ventures into the world guarded
by a face-covering hand-
sewn from floral fabric
that reminds me of a bonnet
she once adored,
one like Laura Ingalls wore
when the world was running maskless
through sunny fields.

I long to shield my child’s eyes
from our COVID-bright world
but I know it needs her.
So I fill an old egg carton with soil,
teach her to grow zinnias.

“Everything is uncertain, and for me it’s interesting that a lot of current situations have echoes from past events. From unknowing if my position is secure next year, to the ambiguity of feelings. The following is an excerpt from a poem I wrote at the beginning of May, yet an expansion to an earlier poem, “The Letter: True Intention,” that I wrote back in 2003 with similar themes.”

“Quarantine this heart” -D. Aldrete 5/24/20 

Keep me at arm’s length.
[…]
Uncertain times
call for certain measures,
all is obscure
as we read between the lines.
Certain glances
unclear intentions,
symbolism redux,
what do they mean?
the blue jays by the window.
The letters I wrote you
that never got delivered,
only polished words strewn across the page
with metaphors spinning
but still at a blank space
and the pulling of the reins
of what can be said.
Teach me to heed the warnings,
and let me learn how
to slow down
the tempo
of this beating heart,
that has been covertly
spelling your name
in Morse code.

American Chrysalis, Abridged, by Frank Cohen

the world is ringed by a corona
as a virus migrates clockwise
China, Iran, Italy, it’s here

new terms grip us
pandemic, flatten the curve
social distancing

every man is an island
germaphobes seem prescient
agoraphobes better adapted
burqa-and-niqab wearers
smartly dressed

yet many young folk act
invulnerable, hook up, party hearty
the elderly and immune compromised
they threaten hunker down
in not so splendid isolation

people shop fearfully, snappishly
disinfectant hangs in the air
like the stench of a skunk
that won’t move on

masks don’t conceal fear
so much as amplify it
is your mask to protect others
yourself, both 

(photo above by Frank Cohen)

are you planning to rob me
a Lyft driver early jokes
in his Lysol-scented car
but maybe, why not
police are keeping their distance
ignoring speeders and light
runners before their noses

streets empty, homeless abandon corners
feral cats are emboldened
tumbleweeds blow through deserted campuses

besides the unimaginable human toll
all sports, the Olympics
perhaps even the election
desperado, why don’t you come to your Census

he who disbanded the pandemic response team
first says we’ll bounce back
with the Easter bunny
king of de Nile
tallies the lives he might be saving
from Chinavirus by finally acting
not the lives he cost fiddling
while America burned

his faithful (sorry, truth must out) 
have a sickness for which 
there’s no known treatment 
symptoms may include shortness 
of empathy, loss of taste, feverish 
inability to perceive reality 

Covid Reflections, by Chery Royka

I guess COVID started in China, they say, and horrifically took over like a doomsday. Where it derived from is yet so unclear but have no doubt it is quite severe, It has now spread across the entire world for now it’s become our new “real-world” As they scramble to find an effective vaccine. So we can emerge from this 8wk quarantine, Much research is needed new medications as well I pray for success soon to break this bombshell, So many first responders giving their life to protect God Bless them all for their heart felt respect, The death pole has reached unimaginable peaks and still going strong even after 8 weeks, Unemployment and stocks reach an all-time decline this Covid-19 has caused a new “battle line”, Social distancing and masks will be our new life they say it even affects all the wildlife, So, I look forward to new future discoveries that will bring much needed worldwide recoveries, And I pray all will recover from this recession including all our many depressions...

Continued...By Chery Royka

What happened to the good old yesterdays Why is our world in so much dismay? Why is there so much hate and confusion 
feels like a bad dream an optical illusion, Can this be our inevitable doomsday people please I beg you do not astray! There are right ways and wrong ways let’s focus and create new pathways, Instead of all this hurt and destruction use all this effort, demand new law reconstruction, Request a George Floyd bill to be passed that contains severe consequences for all harassed, We need to all fight together to create these amendments anytime there is an illegal act of vengeance, We must create new history to pursue things right to teach our younger generations the correct way to unite ...

THANK YOU to all you First Responders to tell you how grateful we are, we couldn’t be any fonder, The services you provide your undeniable determination give you by far the most admiration, We can’t imagine all that you encounter especially the deaths an unimaginable downer, But you raise your head high and find the courage God Bless you all you always seem to flourish, The sacrifices you face with your patients and families are certainly not fair and can cause anyone insanity, But please let it be known all your efforts are respected and we pray for you all especially your families effected, I hope this brings some peace to your soles for there are no words to express towards your roles, I hope you find strength to carry on your obligation as we all pray for you across the entire nation...