The song from my radio filled the car, and floated out into the air and
mingled with the cool breeze. Today the chirping of birds were clear and
I could hear the rustling leaves. When I stopped at the traffic light, I
realized that I never saw how green the trees were and how beautiful the
sky with a few wispy clouds passing. Nature seemed to be at peace even
when the world around me groaned due to this virus. By whatever name you
call it, it is a symbol of tear and fear.
Just as I step out of my car, I remember to don my mask and quickly walk
along the walkway to the entrance. I look to the branches of a tree on
the right of the walkway and noticed the little robin who sings daily
without fail. I know the screening questions by heart now and the
thermometer scans my forehead. The little sticker placed on my badge
feels like a gold star that I received in kindergarten for good
behavior. I start another day at the hospital.
Everything has changed since this pandemic began. I miss seeing the
smiles of people and hearing their voices now muffled through the masks.
How this invisible thing has visibly altered the world, as we know it.
How every touch and every breath became calculated. You really want to
hug a patient as their silent tears soak their masks and you just have
to hold back. Nevertheless, I remember that our presence and words can
embrace people around us, to comfort and strengthen them.
We zoom in for meetings and you may or may not see the face behind the
voices or the silent listeners. Birthdays, graduations and send off
parties are on hold. Patients lie alone on their beds as their families
see and talk to them from a screen. A stranger holds their hand and
watch their breathing as the machines chime. Many lives are lost and
funerals held quietly and far from homes.
I long for the days when we could meet friends in the park or stroll
through the mall. Will the days come back when we ate in a restaurant or
enjoyed a walk along the beach? I wish those moments could be frozen and
kept in a glass jar that could never be shattered.
As the orange glow of the sun drenches everything around me, I slowly
walk back to my car. A silent prayer floats in the evening breeze; the
drive is quite, the sky an impossible hue of gold and purple. The leaves
gently rustle and believe it, the birds are still chirping!