Pandemic Exercise
(Hour 6 Half Marathon 2021)

By David Hirsh

After sitting and zooming
For several hours
Several days in a row,
My legs needed a good stretching
I had been sitting too long
And my pulse rate
Needed a little boost
Even though it was
in the middle                                                                                                                                                                    of the Covid Pandemic of 2020
I decided to dress,
Put on a mask to leave the house
Gather the courage to step outside

These streets                                                                                                                   I used to jog down these streets
Avoiding the cars
Wearing bright clothing
To make sure I was seen
Now my pulse raced at a much slower speed
Then when I would jog or run
I felt lonely without a car in sight
It could have been night
I could have been dressed in black
I could have been naked
There was no one to see me
Except those faces frozen                                                                                      Hidden behind walls and windows

I went from one block to another
Down the middle of the street
Where cars had roamed
And had honked me to attention
The trees were still green
The flowers were in bloom
Bees buzzed around the flowers
Most of the yards
Were overgrown with grass                                                                                                                                                  and dandelions                                                            Various insects played among
The grass waving in the breeze

After about an hour
I arrived back home
Took the mail from the box
And went to sit back down
To have a video conference
With several people
Who talked about how much they missed
Leaving their homes.