Word Hungry
I collect snippets of conversation
in a few places:
the grocery,
where there are couples standing close,
speaking softly through their masks,
Will it be chicken or steak tonight, honey?
Please wrap up that stretch of salmon.
Do we need more potatoes?
Pull your mask up!
the bookstore,
where I hold casual conversations
Have you read. . .?
Yes, I loved, and also. . .!
Thanks, have a nice day,
With my grown son and daughter on the phone:
about their health, about their children, their jobs –
piecemealed into fractured days
of the pandemic.
They are not alone
but when we speak,
words are shadowed by the virus news:
its latest victims,
When is the vaccine coming?
Where do you get tested?
Politics drifts in, but not often.
So little cushions alarming numbers.
We try to speak about Christmas,
yet do not settle on a plan.
There are no words to share that mean disappointment.
And I try to remember:
“What did we talk about
BEFORE?”
Linda Baie ©
The question “What did we talk about BEFORE?” is the perfect ending to your poem and this year. Thank you, Linda for articulating the "Word Hungry" feeling so many of us have. Sending you and yours light and love. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, Linda. That ending. Yes. Yes. Yes. Hoping you discover something amazing and good this week to feed conversation!
ReplyDeleteI love that you put that question at the end. Really, that's it...isn't it? BEFORE. We had so much that we didn't even realize. I love the details of this poem. The sounds of people talking. Those little bits of conversation that make life real. This is a great poem for someday when we try to remember what life was like right now.
ReplyDeleteThere is a sweetness to these overheard conversations, isn't there? As a writer, I'm a lifelong eavesdropper. Listening is important. xo
ReplyDeleteI think your poems really captures how these days feel--a sort of making do while we wait for better days.
ReplyDeleteOur conversations linger in bits and pieces of Before Pandemic Life that are shrouded in what ifs: Love your thoughts on this weighty problem, Linda. Beautiful lines that represent our reality:
ReplyDeletepiecemealed into fractured days
of the pandemic.
I am working on the first segment of the Abundant Autumn Gallery today, Linda and am showcasing one of your image poems, among others.
Wow, that final stanza says so much. Your title, "Word Hungry" had me intrigued from the get-go. Love those snippets of conversations. We feed on what we can, hoping for the bounty of better days.
ReplyDeleteYes, that final stanza--won't it be wonderful to a time when we no longer wonder about what we spoke about before? Thanks for capturing our jumbled days and the longing for normalcy.
ReplyDeleteThe perfect poem for these times, Linda. But, at the very least, we do not have to anguish over the election: a decent new Administration in 40 days.
ReplyDeletePerfect to start talking about being hungry in a grocery store :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, so much truth here. :-(
ReplyDeleteThank you to everyone for your comment. I'm glad you connected in personal ways to my poem and I gobbled up your words. : )
ReplyDeletePower-filled word-poem Linda, begging for connection–and I remind my husband,"Pull your mask up!" And yes,“What did we talk about BEFORE?” Awaiting hopefully for some semblance of before… thanks.
ReplyDeleteI used to love to listen to conversations on the train and imagine where all my fellow travelers were headed. Alas, it's been almost a year since I've been on a train. Your poem captures our desperation for normalcy, even though nothing is normal these days. Be well, dear Linda.
ReplyDeleteYour hunger for BEFORE is a good reminder to find the sweet/tart/savory/delicious in the NOW. One of my favorite parts of my online classroom is the small group that stays on our final meeting just to chat. It's an honor to be able to eavesdrop in their conversations!
ReplyDeleteYou've really captured the reality of life at the moment. These snippets of conversation ring so true, especially the family conversations. Thanks for sharing this with your readers/fans.
ReplyDeleteHungry for more than words: for certainty, for togetherness. I love "that mean disappointment."
ReplyDeleteThanks again for coming by and sharing your own ideas everyone. Each morning I wake up and then think, "Oh, yes, that is here!"
ReplyDeleteI agree, Linda, what did we talk about before? The pandemic has affected everyone, and differently, it seems. I enjoyed your thoughtful poem. I hope you are well and I wish you a happy holiday.
ReplyDeleteThis poem captures what so many of us are feeling. What is the safe way to celebrate Christmas? We are going to have the kids here, but they are laying low the few weeks before. We mask up with great grandma or around new baby Stella. So many hard decisions.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janice & Margaret! Wishing you the best holiday & keeping safe & healthy, too.
ReplyDeleteYour poem captures that feeling of before and after that I'm guessing we all have during 2020. I miss bumping into friends, striking up conversations with strangers.
ReplyDelete"yet do not settle on a plan"... perfectly captures the uncertainty and unsteadiness of our times. Thank you, Linda!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Laura & Mary. I miss all of this, as you both do.
ReplyDelete