Readers can see the pain
Writers can scribe the pain
Artists can sketch the pain
Physicians can ease the pain
Loved ones can kiss the pain
Music can drown the pain
Food can comfort the pain
Laughter can endorphin the pain

What remains?
The pain—always there
No matter what we try
Physical or mental or emotional
Can blend into all of these
No matter how, it’s there
It’s there, it’s there, it’s there
Suffering our own is tough
Trying to understand the pain
In someone else’s shoes...
Even harder

Pain wants to yell and scream
Or be silent and groan inside
So why do we care?
Because of empathy
Lend an ear to hear to listen
To comprehend
To have compassion

We may have no answers
But catching someone else’s pain
When they want to throw it
Even for just a moment
Time offers a chance for relief
Just knowing we are heard

Social distancing: difficult but doable

Social security distancing: they had better not!

Sociopath distancing: no problem

Social media distancing: impossible

Socialite distancing: also no problem

Social worker distancing: probably shouldn’t

We are paying with our time
We are paying with our money
We even pay with our health
To watch people
Get paid to pretend
To be other people

Stranded on a dessert island
Great, there goes my diet

Stranded on a deserted island
Great, there goes my diet

I’ve had that dream of school
When you forget your classes
When you forgot to go to PE and
Don’t graduate
When you can’t wake up
Because your dreaming inside
Another dream and you scream
Having a baby and it’s not real
And feel sad and relieved
The one where I get shot and
Felt the bullet
The one about the plane
Crashing and burning
Right in front of me
And I feel the heat from the fireball
The one where someone’s
Chasing me and I jump
Out of bed to hide, to my poor husbands fright “what is wrong?”
The ones where I’m having
An asthma attack and I can’t breath
The vivid one about concentration camp and I am hiding children from the ovens
And they still don’t make it
And it’s in black and white and
Woke up angry and depressed

The extra strange rest of them I can’t and won’t share

Relieved in real life these aren’t real
I’ve always wanted to share my dreams and frightmares
Sorry in advance for any bad dreams

Don’t catch stupider
We get it from ignorance
The cure may cost us dear
And its very lengthy
And we don’t have
That kind of time

The Doctor said
You should fix that
But I can’t afford to
I won’t be able to provide
If I miss work
I will go into giant debt
Go to collections
Then file bankruptcy
I will be broke
Living on the street
That’s no way to survive
It’s a tragedy to be homeless
Maybe I can find a spot

Those in charge said
We need to fix this
But we can’t afford it
It just can’t work
We cannot provide
We are already in giant debt
Our city will go broke
File bankruptcy
Won’t be able to fix the streets
Yes it’s no way to survive
Its a tragedy-for the homeless
Maybe you will find a spot

Perfume, garlic, wet dog
That makes a lot of scents

Paying your lunch tab with coins
That makes a lot of cents.

I texted you all day today
That really doesn’t make sents.

How do you get your hair to do that?
Don’t wash it
Brush it real gentle
Throw in a few rats
Then give it lots of treats
It will do anything I want
Such a good girl!

Flare up angry pain
Like an unjust
Unexpected scolding
Received as a child
That can’t be remedied
I did nothing wrong
To deserve it
Why me
No consoling
Not even redemption
Disappointment in me
Maybe I do deserve it
It’s just too personal

Dear baby me:
You were wrinkled
You had no hair
Couldn't walk
Couldn’t formulate a thought
Cried a lot
Couldn't see too clear
Couldn’t distinguish what I hear
Can’t figure out how
I am so much like that now
It happened too fast
Why didn't my youth last
Seemed in an instant
I was no longer an infant
I knew nothing of life
But sure now it’s with strife
I remember way back when
I can’t remember now and then
It’s just not really fair
Being old with flair
No one forgot the baby you see
I hope no one forgets the now me