Looking at a fluid-filled conical flask,
the reactants colourless,
you’d think nothing of note was happening.
It’s been the same of life in lockdown:
we go nowhere, see no one, touch nothing.
And yet, my son has taken up jogging and cooking,
my daughter, YouTube yoga, art.
My lecturer husband has been finding new ways
to connect with his students.
Me, I’ve been filling my own flask with words,
pouring myself into stories that one day I’ll share.
We’ve all been planting seeds and learning of the gifts
of nature; this unhurried way of life,
the dynamic quality of patience.
There is nothing static about this;
the very molecules of our being
are rearranging themselves.
—May 31, 2020