By Nancy Levinson
PROMPT—During Covid-19 ...
even if it’s but a glint
a splash of rainbow
painted on a window
a DIY covid pinata
you can kill with a stick
Can I temper my mood
hosting a dance party for one
folding a newspaper hat
cooking Farro e Pepe
or Harissa Shakshuka with Chickpeas
Can I gleefully wave to neighbors
in a backyard wading pool
creating cruise-ship family time
or take comfort starting a hobby
turning trash into home treasures
Can I drink in the noon day’s sun
walking past breathing bodies
sheltered under recessed store fronts
doors locked with metal fists shops
dark as midnight ghost town left to die
Can I stretch a smile hum with fading faith
stumbling eyes fogged mouth seared
across this land and its humanity
scorched with hot lava Tell me
where breathes the promise the silver glint
Nancy Levinson is author of MOMENTS OF DAWN: A Poetic Memoir of Love & Family, Affliction & Affirmation, as well as work that has appeared in Poetica, Voice of Eve, Panoplyzine, The Copperfield Review, many anthologies, and elsewhere.