My name is Paula J. Lambert, and I live in Columbus, Ohio. In the months before the pandemic began, both my parents were ill, so I was on the road a lot and always under crisis. We were focused on Mom, but it was Dad who passed away. Soon after, COVID-19 tore its way through our world when my cousin’s life partner died in New York City. When my uncle passed away in Florida, we attended his funeral through a Facebook live feed. Our quarantine year was, for me, a chance to process grief and a chance to cherish each moment with my own life partner.
Here’s my poem.
Dear Vaccine,
I’ve learned how much I love to be alone,
how much I’ve loved being alone together.
Still, it will be good to be back in the world
when we’re ready, when it’s safe, secure
in knowing that, even untethered, the space
between us was always its own kind of love.
