I long to search for constellations with my fellow astronomers again.

We want to see stars in open night skies,

that twinkle back in our glowing eyes.

I wish to bustle in the busy streets of the city that never sleeps.

I can’t go another day without the noise of street performers

And the song of rush hour traffic just around the corners.

Food doesn’t taste the same through a hand-made mask and rubber gloves.

I’m so desperate for change, I’ve begun to miss our salty school lunch

And the way my circle of pals would cluster into a feasting bunch.

I never thought that I would be the one to say I miss the smell of school.

I know the scent of the Febreze that lingers down the halls.

It fades into Axe cologne that’s meant to smell of “Waterfalls.”

I’ve started to forget how it feels to touch a fellow human.

I don’t remember the warm hands of my best friend during our secret handshake

Or the refreshing splash of water when I’d take my dog to the lake.

But isolation isn’t all that bad, human nature is.

I learned that selfishness overcomes compassion,

And daily goods must now be rationed.

Out there is someone with enough canned food for a decade,

But there exists a mother who cannot feed her household.

The shelves are wiped clean, who could be so cold?

They must return empty-handed once again.

If only hoarders could see the look of sorrow on that parent’s face.

The lower-class is hit hardest by a shelter-in-place.

I appreciate my privilege to a full fridge,

I can eat piles of junk food until my arteries give out.

I’ve grown to know more processed food than should ever be allowed.

I’ve learned the full extent of corporate greed.

Company profits are wasted to pay the top four percent,

Instead of helping the working class pay their rent.

It’s a heart-wrenching feeling to be refused a rent relief.

You feel your gut sink inside, you pray your struggle is heard

I’m thankful I can raise awareness, so the world will know their words.

I can hear the ambulance sirens wailing in the night.

Another study has shown the curve is at its peak.

Once more, I sit in solitude in hopes to protect the weak.

I now appreciate the fragrant trees more than ever before.

I cannot smell the outside air, as people don’t stay six feet away

But once the world is awake again, outside is where I’ll stay.