They don't tell you about the beauty
They only talk about the horrors
Never reporting the good
Only retelling the terrible
Waking up to the television screaming
About current events
Overwhelming amounts of news

Being informed is one thing
But ignorance is bliss
Know the big news around the world
But sometimes it’s best to ignore the everyday stories
To rid the constant looming chaos
In daily life

Wake up
To the blaring alarm clock
Wake up
Already being late
Wake up
To run around looking for what you need
Wake up
Just to live another day

Instead

Wake up
Smell the fresh air through the window
Wake up
Feel the breeze on your face
Wake up
Listen to the chirping birds outside
Wake up
Take a deep breath

She didn’t know where to go from here
Her mind lost in the situation
Like an ocean of despair
All his problems were dumped on her at once
And now she’s drowning

The way someone can’t breathe in a crowded place
Or in a polluted city
There was no fresh air
To cleanse the feeling of imminent doom
So she could be calm again

She couldn’t see the happiness anymore
In a dark room filled with fear
The comfort was taken away so fast
The nothingness was closing in
And no one could stop it

Like a headache pounding at her skull
“What if…” “what if…”
Replayed in her head
Like a movie she had watched years ago
But forgot the ending

In the midst of destruction
And complete ego death
The sun rises for another day
Support systems fully form
When you need them the most

The weak links leave you
But the ones in it until the end will stay
Standing strong
Not swaying in the wind

Those are your people.
Keep them close.
Love them like family.
Love them endlessly.

Be very careful
Don’t expose yourself to the elements
Or people
You know what could happen.
Stay safe
Stay home.
Flatten the curve
And hopefully save the rest of the world
We will ride it out together
And come out stronger on the other side

Pause.
School is closed
Do not go outside.
Not to stores
Not to see friends
Not to walk down the street
Stay 6 feet apart.
Do not hug
Do not kiss
Do not touch at all
Stock up.
Buy everything you can
Leave nothing for others
See how much you can get
Before it’s all gone
Work from home.
If you can’t
We can’t help you
Graduate.
Online of course
Spend the rest of senior year
Cooped up
With no one but a laptop
Nothing but a screen
It’s the only interaction you’ll get
The plague is upon us

Not another restless night
Lying awake in the pitch black
Listening to the sound of my own breathing
Hearing it quicken as minutes ticked by
The world did not seem to exist
Only me and the battle of my thoughts
Fighting for dominance over me

But I still feel the breeze of the fan
Blowing the hair out of my face
Still buried in a blanket
Feeling the softness of satin
The comfort of home
Letting thoughts pass by
And off to sleep at last