Change – Reflection on Quarantine

Today as I entered these portals,

Gone was the rhythm of life. 

I slowly walked in silence; 

Unsettled by a personal strife. 

The quietness, though pleasing to the ear,

Evokes contention in my heart. 

The silence speaks of a void, 

Amplifying the greater, missing part. 

What is missing is the spirit of humanity;

The vitality, the emotions, the care. 

What the soul creates within itself, 

Is does with the intent to share.  

Gone are my colleagues, away are my friends, 

Absent are those I assist. 

To whom shall I give, from whom shall I receive? 

How long will this struggle persist?

Change is taking place all around. 

Its impact is quite easy to see. 

The most far-ranging and difficult change,

Is the one to occur in me. 

The outcome of this battle within, 

Will lead to transformation and change.

A longing for the life that once was so familiar,

Is antagonized by a reality so strange.   

Note: this reflection was inspired by a visit to the office building I had worked in for 10 years.Due to the quarantine of 2019 – 2020 it was unoccupied at the time of my visit.