Covid – 19

37ll / 0 Comments / Covid Chronicles, Poetry /
37ll / 0 Comments / Covid Chronicles, Poetry /
Embracing Grey
you are too young to have grey hair she said to my 40 something self
triggering nascent insecurity
periodically I have toyed with letting my natural color emerge
always tempered by wanting to present as young as I feel
now Covid has offered the opportunity to see what is
safe in my mostly sequestered cocoon
the box of wash-in youth not far from reach
when Cuomo sets my colorist loose I will have to decide to decide
for now I watch the change unfold
Judi Arner Brown
May 15 2020
37ll / 0 Comments / Poetry /
I began to write about
the losses
what hasn’t been
doesn’t happen
but words didn’t come
no
I am enriched by this child
this gift
he is with me
inside me
I hear his giggles without hearing
I feel his skin without touching
my love reaches him
because he is my grandson
my grandson
we will find our own way
we are one
soul to soul
a direct unbreakable line
spirit to spirit
core to core
never will I leave him
that is not possible
we are
and ever will be
Judi Arner Brown
May 15, 2020
37ll / 0 Comments / Articles, Covid Chronicles /
Once upon a time in the springtime of the year 2020, the earth had a visitor. It was an unwelcome visitor, a virus called Covid-19. It’s called a coronavirus because “corona” means “crown” in Latin. And the virus looks like it’s wearing a spiky crown. This virus made people very sick and it spread very quickly. People were told to stay home. Not everyone could stay home because we needed essential workers to go to work every day and night. Nurses, doctors, fireman, fire women, truck drivers and grocery clerks are essential workers. If we had to go out, we had to wear masks and gloves. The virus could spread by droplets, like rain from the clouds.
Nancy MerahnMerahn
37ll / 1 Comment / Articles, Covid Chronicles /
Each year, the four and five year old children in Congregation Kol Ami’s ECP, spend much of their time exploring nature in a year-round outdoor education program called Teva which translates to nature in hebrew. They learn to appreciate everything that Mother Nature has blessed us with by tending to three garden beds, tapping maple trees, and exploring the flora and fauna that surround our expansive campus.
Towards the end of the school year, the children create a permanent, nature-themed art project which becomes a gift they “give” to their garden as a “thank you” for all they have experienced in this program the past three years.
How was I going to accomplish this project and continue this beautiful tradition without the opportunity to work hands-on with the children in school? As the weeks passed and our new virtual routine became reality, I moved forward with the garden curriculum and continued to plant, documenting all of the garden’s glory in videos for my curious students . Of course, I missed teaching in the garden, but I planted more than thirty different types of seedlings while imagining them alongside me and planting with me. During those many therapeutic hours of planting, it came to me! We needed to replace our ten-year-old rotten tree stump seating with new ones. Instead of tree stumps, I thought something more personalized would be just the right way to celebrate the moment. I could virtually collect and then engrave each child’s name – maybe even their hand-written name, into each bench. Perfect!
Each child’s name is now permanent in this garden, waiting for them to come back and visit when things go back to normal. These names are an indelible reminder of these four and five year old children who not only helped me complete this garden project virtually, but helped me get through a dismal time in history.
I dedicate these four benches to the forty-one children who shared their love of nature with me and continued to inspire me to create something beautiful to add into our world.
Candice Moscoe-Polner
Teva/Garden Educator
37ll / 0 Comments / Covid Chronicles, Poetry, Uncategorized /
By Oren Milgrom-Dorfman age 11
I go outside, to watch
I look through a window, to see
City lights,
Windows glowing like squares of sun
Lampposts shining like starry skies
I go outside, to watch
I look through a window, to see
Sunset lights,
Red car lights flowing like rivers
Clouds turned pink like cotton candy
I go outside, to watch
I look through a window, to see
Star lights,
Constellations scattered like drops of milk
Planets small as seeds
Then I go inside, to watch
I turn away from a window, to see
Heart lights,
Love as bright as countless suns
Joy like all the stars in the sky
–
37ll / 0 Comments / Covid Chronicles, Poetry, Uncategorized /
By Oren Milgrom-Dorfman age 11
I am surrounded
It’s a fact, it is true
I am surrounded
It’s good and it’s bad, it has many hues
I am surrounded by people who want to check in
See how I’m doing, see if I’ve had a win
I am surrounded by people that say
I will try to help you in every way
Being surrounded is good, that is true
But as I have said, it has many hues
I am surrounded anytime, anywhere
I can’t escape, can’t get fresh air
I am surrounded, it feels suffocating
I need to escape, need to keep moving
Being surrounded can be bad, that is true
But I must remember that it has many hues
I am surrounded by people who love me
I am surrounded by people who care
I am surrounded by people that help me
In any way and anywhere
Being surrounded is good, bad and true
And what’s also true is that it has many hues
So being surrounded is both good and bad
It’s loving, it’s suffocating, it’s people holding your hand
Being surrounded is bad and it’s good
It’s helping, it’s holding, it’s I wish that I could
I am surrounded
It’s a fact, it is true
I am surrounded
It’s good and it’s bad, it has many hues
37ll / 0 Comments / Covid Chronicles, Poetry /
By Oren Milgrom-Dorfman age 11
I am away, as are so many people
Away from my home, away from my city
I am away, as anyone who can is
Away in a bigger house, in a spread-out city
I am away, and I’m seeing new things
All kinds of new birds, the Scarlet Tanager
I am away, and I’m tasting new things
Pasta and pizza, every night is a feast
I am away, and I’m hearing new things
When I step outside, I hear bird calls and crickets
I am away, and I’m smelling new things
The flowers, the scent of the trees
I am away, and I’m feeling new things
Dirt on my hands, leaves on my feet
I am right here, as just I can be
Right here in a new home, here in a new city
I am right here, experiencing new senses
Right here in a new life for me
37ll / 0 Comments / Covid Chronicles, Poetry /
37ll / 0 Comments / Articles, Covid Chronicles / Articles /
By Jess Lorden
A Mother’s Take