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July 12, 2020

The Quarantine Chronicles, Day 89


DAY 89: In Milan I had to go out in the
street, I encountered human beings
there, I did not want to meet them, we
looked at one another suspiciously
over our masks, cold eyes only
met, connected and then disconnected
quickly as we passed going elsewhere.
Eyes over masks, no facial expression
to give a clue, it could be this way
for the rest of our lives, eyes
over masks, a smile so hidden, maybe
a hint in the little lines, it's hard
to hear 'I love you' whispered under a mask,
hard to see clearly when it brushes
your eyelash, eyes only then
until there's a cure, until
a vaccine liberates our primal urge
for connection, interaction, reciprocation
if it ever does, until the next virus,
maybe this is post-Aquarius, an Age
of Subtlety, of picking up on the
barely expressed, look into my
eyes/soul, can you tell what I think
as I speak in a foreign language,
or else we judge others by how
they dress, I hope not, make
eye contact sustainable.
I hope we learn to dive
into the deep pool in
another's eyes to swim
there for the time of
a glance, to understand
who is who, who is attracted
to you, who is true and who
wants to cheat you, only to eat
to beat you, to use you
I hope we can know each other
passing in the street
by eyes only peeking over a mask
as expressionlessly
we greet.

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