We have been on lockdown in Nashville for more days than I can count. March 2nd was the tornado that closed all the schools for a week. Then the kids went back for tree days and then school has been closed ever since. We don't leave the house much beyond taking the new dog for a walk. Our 16th anniversary came and neither of us remembered until halfway through the day and Facebook reminded me.
All activities are cancelled. Parks are closed. I am attempting to homeschool the children but it often goes south before too much gets done. We watch movies. We write and draw and play outside. The kids run loose like I used to in the woods on Hamby Road.
But in the loneliness is a quiet and a contentment that I have not felt in awhile. It feels good to be still. It feels good to be quiet. The dishwasher hums, the dryer spins, the boys write poems with sticky letters while my girl reads yet another novel on her Kindle. Hubs retreats to his man-cave to play games. It's a good life. We are lucky. And I am happy today.
Love (and Parenting) in the Time of Covid19
My darling I love you
But don't cough on me
We have been here for weeks
In this wretched quarantine
The groceries are scarce
The toilet paper runs low
We are stuck in this house
But there's nowhere to go.
The parks are all closed
The stores are all shuttered
We are shut in with these children
And the house is getting cluttered
With Legos and books
And homeschool papers
We Facetime and Zoom while the
Kinder cut capers.
We attempt to do work
But get nothing done
We send out the kinder
Out into the sun
They explore and they argue
They create and they wander
They ride down the hill on their bikes
And they ponder
What does this dead snake
That I found feel like?
Can I run over this roadkill
With the wheels of my bike?
Can I have another snack?
Can I dig a big hole?
Can I paw through the fire pit
And paint my face with charcoal?
Do I HAVE TO do Math?
Do I HAVE TO write cursive?
They are making me use my mom voice
In threats most coercive.
Wash your hands, wear your mask
Please don't ask again why
If we follow all the rules
We might be free by July
