Reimagining Post-Lockdown Life

Where do my priorities lie?

In the home where I’ve been while dreaming of outside?

In the eyes I avoid when the feelings are too strong?

The teeth that bite if you’re awake too long?

The food demanded, chewed then thrown away?

The same path walked each and every day?

In day care or swim class or playgrounds galore,

Or a job that beckons behind long locked doors?

In a bank account that could be healthy or be bare,

Or a heart that is full of love to share?

In lessons to learn and life to live,

Of stories to tell and hugs to give?

Of dimpled smiles and in furrowed brows,

I don’t know what’s next but I know that for now

My achy heart knows how much I care

And that I can be hopeful and still feel scared

I am not the same as I was before

And when I spend this time I want to be sure

That I’m exactly where I yearn to be

With the people we’ve truly wanted to see

With those who give my kids time and grace

Where I can be me without a brave face

Where there is substance and heart and conversation is deep

Where we talk about more than statistics and sleep

Community, music, nature and sun

Where I laugh and remember life’s brilliant and fun

Where the weight of our world is lighter shared

May we meet one another with love and with care.

[ID: an awkwardly angled photo looking up at Anna smiling, with the edge of her child’s face in shot. Luckily there are no big boogers in sight.]

Oct 8, 2021 03:05pm

By Anna Cusack

Under Parenting & Motherhood

2 min read