Poetry ~ Michele Witthaus Three smiles on my morning walk I collected three smiles this morning from women, walking fast, rather a lot like me. Smiles that felt real; that said: we might become friends when all this is over and we spot each other in a local café. Their smiles had a quality of pathos. They were not the kind bestowed on strangers on a Boxing Day afternoon walk. Not the self-satisfied variety, infused with easy bonhomie. These were early-morning escape from lockdown smiles, generous and risky and laced with hope, and they buoyed me up all the way home. ~ Self, contained I miss you viscerally. Seeing you from a safe distance only makes it worse. When all this began, I took comfort in an aptitude for solitude; thought it would be my ally in this marathon of absence. Now, as I wander these rooms, ghost-like and alone, I understand how porous are the walls that guard my heart. Perhaps I’m not as autonomous as I had thought. ~ Emergence Far away, children go out to play together for the first time since March. Eyes blinking against the glare, they spill out onto AstroTurf. Some hanging back, cautious from the time indoors. when they learned to live without their friends. Nonetheless, they race one another, the bravest and fastest snapping the blue-and-white tape that’s flapped in the breeze for weeks, preventing access to the roundabouts and slides. Their parents watch them go, nervous smiles plastered on. As for us, we draw our brood closer, glad of the chance to wait and see what becomes of the first to go. ~ ![]() Michele Witthaus (Leicestershire, United Kingdom) Michele's poems have appeared in a variety of anthologies and other publications. Her background is in journalism and she is interested in ethical questions and ideas around sustainability. She is an active member of Leicester Writers’ Club.
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