sat in a rocking chair and read until
my eyes bled. No one was there except for
the one short and stocky greying man
who was working his shift. As we crossed paths,

he said hello. Though I didn’t measure if we
were six feet apart. He wasn’t concerned and
neither was I. It was nice to see someone
smile. The music played on the stereo speaker

hanging above very old songs from a long
time ago, a time when people got together, a time
when you could bring your kids to the park
in the warmer weather. A time when you weren’t

afraid of going outside, of touching people. Now
everyone hides. It was nice to hear him move
around. It made up for the deafening sound when
I stepped outside into the empty parking lot and

drove away. Thank god for little places that
are not afraid to have a big welcome sign
outside that says “we’re open/come on in”
And so, that’s what I did!