Pre Post Pandemic

a poem

We were surprised by the crowd at the ice cream shop
It was like almost normal
A circle of girls, a team, giggled on the sidewalk
Parents stood in groups,
a coach took a picture, all with masks at half-mast to eat their cones

We stood in nervous distance
The line out the door to order
Two of my three children with me
So thrown by so many people in one place
We forgot how to order
My 10-year-old son saying only “chocolate” when asked,
“What can I get for you?”
Needing to be walked through the rest:
One scoop, waffle cone
They forgot to prompt, “Sprinkles?” And he forgot to ask.

Later in bed
The cat even though I am not a cat person
Curled up on my legs
Giving my knees a heartbeat

— May 13, 2021

Photo by Dylan Ferreira on Unsplash