Quarantine Notes: Inside/Outside

These quarantine notes, called Inside/Outside were inspired by the Japanese poetic form Haibun.

Stripped down to its essentials, Haibun uses detached language, no personal pronouns and concentrates in sensory details.

Outside the windows, lawn mowers and weed whackers recreate the invasion of Normandy. Draw the shades. Hunker down. Circle the house, edge the perimeter of the property, disperse the evidence with the deafening blower.

Silence has become a presence. A friend.

Inside a concerto of potatoes sizzling, children stretching, waking and the rhythm of rain on the roof. Stairs creek. Noses bury in necks. Sleep wiped from eyes. Embraces sustain, hold, carry, nourish.

There is sanctuary here. Home

Outside rituals mark time. Declare a day as different. See the sunrise. The sky changes from steel to sherbet. Goslings scoot and scuttle near the shore while parents protect with piercing looks.

There is poetry in beginnings. Hope.

Inside anger no longer rears like a dragon, ready to ignite fire. There is no time. Emotion must be controlled. Quarantine is refining. Some even say a gift. Now the young struggle. Emotions come out sideways.

Guard, Hold and Protect. Make music.

Outside. A forest in the middle of a city. Step in. Wind rushes trees. Trees stand firm. Like cobra strikes, hair bites cheeks ---and yet. The woods heal hurt hearts. Bathe in air and wind and spirit.

Make clean what worry has wrought. Sway.

Inside tensions rise. The bow screeches across violin strings. Screams. Slammed Door. Tears streak streams down the cheeks of a child. If only children could be children.

Without practice nothing is perfect. Try again.

Inside the screen, faces smile and scream. Voices over voices. This miracle of technology. And yet. Delayed. Detached. And yet. This disconnected celebration delights. This is the new norm. Chaotic joy.

Lower your expectations. Settle in.

Outside miscommunication leads to hurt feelings. But it is too late. The Damage is done. Relationships severed. Quarantine speeds up what would have been inevitable

What is hidden stays hidden. Isolation

Inside Embraces are usually obligatory but not today. Three. Cheek to cheek. Inhaling scent as if it might be the last. As if it strengthens. Not obligatory. Not just love but like.

Remember what is good and important. Belonging

Outside the silence sounds like waves breaking on the shore. Lull with the rhythm of the tide. Men break through with hammers pounding shingles like artillery fire. Duck for cover. The beach is full of bodies. Open and bleeding.

Let the surf take what is not essential. Cull.