They step in to
The local grocery for
the weekly shop.
A soldier in a
Green apron stands
Bravely, sanitizing
And passing out
Carts.
Once inside,
The shelves are
Almost empty in spots.
Customers who once
Looked full of emotions
Now appear devoid of life,
Going through the motions.
You touched a surface?
Repeat, "Don't touch my face,"
"Don't touch my face."
Check out time is here at last,
Thought there would be
Longer lines but
Not many people are inside.
The cashier asks,
"Did you find everything you need?"
With a smile as if pretending
"It's business as usual."

One lady says at least she found
Paper plates which was a
Welcome surprise.
It's our turn, and we are
Told we have more than
The allowed amount of meat.
(We only have three small
packs of beef)
And explain we are a family
Cooking in this week.
The sky outside is rainy now,
Should be a tornado warning today,
But there's no telling when
The world will end
(It's easy to be 'in our heads')

Experts write about all
Possible scenarios & outcomes.
Human minds do what
Human minds do in these
Situations...
"Paper or plastic?"

As the normalcies of life splinter and fall away like ice
Brushed from a window pane,
There is no place left to look
But in,
And there is nowhere to run.

There is no sea of peace
Except that which we return to
Inside, within.

I lay my body down beneath an imagined sun
And feel the textured sand against my skin
And pretend that
This darkness outside will end

And in this way, I can hold their little hands and claim that
The life we knew before will begin again,

But the truth is,
It may get so much worse,
And we may be called to carry far heavier loads before these
Tides reverse.

So, cling tightly to the inner worlds;

The rest is as scaffolding made of sand,
How quickly it fractured and fell to the ground.