The scope of my glorious independence
now confined within four walls
alone and isolated
masked and frightened
I stare into oblivion
reflecting on the hands I shook,
the meetings attended
and the crowded commute
Alone and distant from all now
if only I had kept my distance then!
I now fear for the loved ones
regretting the hugs I shared with them
The question that bothers me most is
“How do we stay focused
when the world around us
is falling apart?”
I can feel the mask of sangfroid slip perilously
into the raging waters of uncertainty
but I will not get mired
in the quagmire self-pity
I will survive and rise
wiser and more determined
Alone I may be in this fight
against an invisible, faceless, wee invader
arising out of nowhere
but maybe, just maybe
having faced the worst
the best will triumph eventually!

Punam is a stay at home wife and mom, who also writes for textbooks. Her poems have been published by the Tuck Magazine, Down in the Dirt Magazine, Free Verse Revolution, Spillwords and Indian Periodical. She blogs as paeansunplugged on WordPress.