“What Was Important” by JoAnn Cibelli

JoAnn Cibelli is a retired high school teacher who lives in Hampden County. Besides writing JoAnn loves gardening, hiking, but most of all dogs. She lives in Chicopee with her three rescue poodles.

“What Was Important”

What was important:
Gathering with friends and family
Going to places of worship
Working
Sporting events
Vacations
Birthday parties, Anniversaries
Driving the car
Going to school
Friendship
Love

What is now important:
Covid19
Social distancing
Masks, PPE
Toilet paper
The news
Empty shelves in stores
First responders, doctors, nurses
Zoom meetings
Hand sanitizer
Washing your hands
Friendship
Love

In terror of this pandemic, each day we wake up to a new norm.
Wear a mask, stay six feet apart.
Huge numbers of sick people, thousands of deaths horrify us.
Putting one foot in front of the other we plod on, hoping for the best.
We pray that no feeling is final.
We long to escape the smothering fears around us.
Yet, love and friendship
will always be important!