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Poetry Sunday: Mingling by Kim Stafford

Remember how it was in the "before times"? Before the pandemic changed everything. Will we ever get back to those times? Will we ever be able to once again thoughtlessly mingle without concern about the people around us? Kim Stafford remembers how it was.

Mingling

by Kim Stafford

Remember how we used to do it—
weaving through the crowd, brushing
shoulders, fingers touching a sleeve,
adjusting a lapel—first an old friend here,
then turn to banter with a stranger, finding
odd connections—“You’re from where?…You
know her!”—going deeper into story there, leaning
back in wonder, bending close to whisper, secrets
hidden in the hubbub, as if in the middle of this
melee you have found a room and lit a lamp…
then the roar of the crowd comes back,
someone singing out a name, another
bowing with a shriek of laughter,
slap on the back, bear hug void
of fear? Imagine!
Just imagine.
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Comments

  1. David M. Gascoigne,June 13, 2021 at 5:36 AM

    And I do long for those days to return!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJune 13, 2021 at 8:38 AM

      To quote Joni Mitchell, "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

      Delete
  2. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzJune 13, 2021 at 7:27 AM

    I wonder how long our fears will last. I remember walking around Paris last February, pre-mask, wondering whether it was safe to be around so many strangers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJune 13, 2021 at 8:39 AM

      I would think that all of us who have lived through this will be marked in some way for life. I'm not sure we will ever be able to mingle with the same carefree spirit as in the past.

      Delete
  3. The Butterfly ReaderJune 13, 2021 at 12:50 PM

    Even though I'm fully vaccinated, I still have fear of strangers and them getting too close to me. I wonder if we'll ever get back to normal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJune 13, 2021 at 1:00 PM

      My husband and I have been vaccinated since February but we still go out very sparingly. I think our new normal will always be a bit more cautious than it was before.

      Delete
  4. AlanaJune 13, 2021 at 5:05 PM

    My husband and I are fully vaccinated yet I feel the fear. I think some form of it will be in me for a long time to come. Including the fear of going back to work (in an office building). I'm fortunate; I'm technically retired and working part time. I can make the decision that's best for me and I may need to in the next couple of weeks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJune 13, 2021 at 6:03 PM

      Those who have the choice of being able to work from home are fortunate. Our children did so for much of the past year although one is back in the office setting now and the other may have to return before the end of the summer. One's heart goes out to all of those who didn't have a choice in the matter, who had to show up every day. And thank the gods they did!

      Delete
  5. mudpuddleJune 13, 2021 at 7:21 PM

    i do think society as a whole has been slightly transformed by this plague episode. i hope for the better...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJune 13, 2021 at 7:22 PM

      We can all hope for that. It might even be true!

      Delete
  6. Sam June 13, 2021 at 8:01 PM

    Sadly, we didn't realize how good we had it...or what was important and what wasn't. I doubt any of us will ever take the little things for granted again, though.

    ReplyDelete

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