Sometimes it takes a crisis to reveal
What you have painfully suppressed, you no longer feel
I had made loneliness my companion
I did not care if I was shunned
By neighbors, distant relatives, and such
I had convinced myself that I did not need people much
Of course I did not have a stellar reputation
I was a cranky old woman, I tell you without hesitation
When the COVID crisis hit, we went into lockdown
I thought I could manage, without help around
But an old woman like me has unforeseen needs
I did find it difficult to solve problems online indeed
Still, I was determined to prove that I could survive
On my own, without venturing out, or being able to drive
*
One day I heard a persistent knock on the door
Annoyed, I opened it to see someone I had not met before
A young woman (in her twenties) started to ask
Me a question- I interrupted, telling her to adjust her mask
I was irritated, I disdainfully thought
The basics of COVID prevention these youngsters knew not
She apologized, saying senior citizens she was trying to assist
In running errands, buying groceries so they could subsist
During these trying times- but of course I sent her away
Undeterred, however, she returned another day
This time her mask was in its proper place
And she carefully maintained six foot space
She asked even more politely if something she could get for me
I was down to last rations, so quite reluctantly
I handed her a list of things that I required
I did not know that day, but a lifeline I had acquired
*
She quickly became a frequent visitor and I found
Myself waiting eagerly for her to come around
We became friends despite four decades between us
I had help that I needed, her companionship was a plus
She could not travel back to her parents either
And I sort of became her Godmother
*
The pandemic hit people hard, and unfortunately
She lost her job, with no option she could see
To stay in this city- back to her parents she went
Leaving behind fond memories of the time together we spent
Months later, we keep in regular touch
From each other we still learn much
The pandemic is ugly but this was the spark
I needed, a ray of light in the dark!
Passion...unbridled 