Aunt Agnes, after all

I piece together the years
Of birds
And flowers
The people
In my history
The ones added in
After all.
I have my own
Added in
After all
Aunt Agnes
A small brown bird
Of a woman
She drew flowers
Like Emma
Married Thomas
After all
And here I am
I have the stories
After all.

Other tales I have known

 In these days of quarantine I find other things to focus on, like the cat's shadow.

The cat walks
Her shadow appears
On the wall.
As she moves.
I notice especially
The tail
Swishing
In the light.
From this my mind moves
To other tales
I have known.

We had all but forgotten

 I am reminded daily of this.

Taken aback
Taken back
The usual things
To re-find
To refine the things
We had lost
So we have to claim them back
Again
There they are
Here they are
We had all
But forgotten
These are ours
To be shared

Like most everyone

Wait for the masks to come
In the mail
Like most everyone
Walk the one-way aisles
In the grocery store
Like most everyone
Pick up prescriptions
Through the vacuum tube
At the pharmacy
Like most everyone
Wonder
Wonder
Wonder
How long
Like most everyone.

Blue jeans

As a priest I counsel and hear confessions. In this time of the Covid 19 pandemic, I must still counsel and hear confessions but must still adapt to the circumstances,

I am even more
Like Julian
These days
Except I
Wear blue jeans
And a T-shirt
Hear confessions
Through
A computer screen
She would understand
She would know
How to adapt
To these times
Such as they are.

Novel

Why is this virus
Novel
Unlike other viruses
Same old
Same old
Same old
Viruses
The common cold
The standard flu
Which comes around
Every fall.
This one even has a name
And a birthday.
Novel
Indeed.

We are still neighbors

We walked around the block
Together
Six feet apart.
We waved and picked them up
As we passed their house.
They walked behind
We walked in front
Six feet]
Six foot conversation
Still together
Not facing each other
But conversation
Nonetheless