Observations While Sheltering in Place

And the women’s hair grew long.

While the children learned the old songs,

and played new games born from their imaginations.

The men read forgotten books retrieved from dusty bookshelves.

Meanwhile, the sky became bluer and quiet, except for birdsong.

Soon, rivers and streams ran clear again.

Church happened in kitchens while prayers were stirred into soup,

and day old bread was broken and passed around the table.

While the women’s hair grew long, 

they wove blankets for the sick and planted seeds in their gardens. 

Home-bound children learned the names for continents and countries

from their grandfather’s maps. 

In time, the men discovered what women had always known…

that they were worth far more than their earnings and positions of power.

And the women’s hair grew longer.

And the children grew taller.

And the men became gentler.

And the women, children and men 

covered their faces and hands,

while the world turned ‘round

to begin again.

© 2020 Sibyl Dana Reynolds