A Hockey Stick Apart

When staying safe meant staying in*
When life became different than it’s ever been

We had to learn to stay apart
But keep our loved ones close to heart

The Coronovirus, at first like a storm far away, 
Moved closer and closer day by day

Until finally we had to prepare 
And then we were suddenly very aware

That things would never be quite the same
Because of COVID-19 the world had changed. 

There were schools that closed and sports that stopped
There were businesses that closed up shop

There were jobs that were lost and people worked from home 
And sometimes people felt very alone

But we learned many things in this storm
As we adjusted to our new norm

We learned to stay safe from doctors across the land
From our medical leaders like Hindshaw, Fitzgerald, and Tam.

We learned about masks and personal hygiene
And how to keep our hands very clean

We learned that technology can be a useful tool
And even from home we can learn from our schools

We learned that even parks and playgrounds were not allowed
So we stayed on our balconies and in our gardens, avoiding any crowd

With arts and crafts we learned to create
And some of us even learned to bake

We learned that there were brave people who had to go out and work every day
To those essential workers a Huge Thank-you we say

We learned a lot about our own self-care
And some of our parents even learned to cut hair. 

We learned new ways to connect with family and friends
And we always know our isolation will eventually end

During the pandemic we all have to do our part

United we stand
But a hockey stick apart. 

Written by Heather Y. Boone

*credit to the Washington Post’s article (April 2020) by Berger, o’Grady and Mellen of the same title as this line for the springboard for this poem 🙂