How do you say "I missed you" to a total stranger?
For over a year we have
avoided one another's gaze
As if meeting eyes could somehow pose a risk
of spreading viral particles
that could infect, poison, or kill us and
No one
would be the wiser.
Our faces have been halfway hidden
behind pieces of fabric --
decorated with patterns and vibrant colors
to replace the missing blooms
beneath --
All of us a patchwork of protection
from the unseen danger,
wearing our unspoken wish that we should all live
and not
one more
die.
And now, a day after the announcement was released,
I walk outside with my face barer
than a newly born
Being
And breathe in the warm, sweetly scented air
of honeysuckle
and promise and hope and
Freedom like the rush of an ocean breeze through open car windows
down a highway.
I can smell the sunshine on the pavement.
***
Unexpectedly, our eyes meet as we pass --
nothing now obstructing our view of the upturned corners of our lips
that silently speak the words:
"It is so good
To see your face."
This poem commemorates the first day I went outside without wearing a mask in over a year during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to the announcement made by the CDC the day prior.
