Is It Weird? A COVID-19 Response

Is it weird that my heart seems to beat extra loud,
Seems to rumble a vicious quick tune,
Because someone I know, only just kind of so,
Lays abed, states away, with the flu?
Or maybe pneumonia, I can’t quite recall,
I know that it’s something you breathe.
All I know is that somewhere, way deep down inside,
My inner me screams and screams.

Is it weird that I’ve found a connection of late
With a fellow across the seas,
A Brit, with dry wit, to my American state,
Who can write and design as you please.
From the day I began all my work-from-home tasks
To today, my pen pal, it’s true.
We’ve shared pains and sorrows, and laughter and glee,
With the other we barely knew.

Is it weird that I’m ‘dying’ to visit my mom
And best friends, only minutes away,
But the fear I might kill them, at miniscule risk,
Pushes back, just yet, one more day.
I know in the end the numbers are small
When compared to the crowd at large.
But if anyone dear to me loses their life…

Is it weird? This new normal? It’s just… hard.