Category Archives: Social Distancing

Local poets and authors on social distancing – “Going the Distance” (003)

Going the Distance

Local writers offer strength, hope, and solidarity in a time of social distancing

Appearing in the print edition of the Benicia Herald, April 5, 2020

Orchestra

White ivory fingers tap dry rhythms
trumpets blare sour notes
out of tune cellos squeal
violins and violas whine
flute-stops fill with spit,
no sound escapes, hands stuffed
in French horns, blare discord
triangles without hammers,
bells lacking clappers,
pianos with covers shut
gather dust, keys silent,
harps with broken strings,
stretched beyond endurance
we long for harmony,
a return to a daily symphony,
we wait for a conductor
who knows the score.

Louise Moises


The Last Banana

Today I bought the last banana at Raley’s, somebody left it, not on the wire hanging rack, but above it, undersize as it was, on the small display shelf, a token offering of benevolence perhaps in the “Shelter in place” chaos that currently infects our planet. I don’t understand the communist state whose occupants must eat bats, living upside down in infected caves or doorways, is this the measure of superlative governance? Are these Chinese-FDA regulated and inspected bats? Range-free? Gluten-free? No MSG? Or are they the scrub of edibles, Coronavirus-infected, overlooked for millennia by the non-existence of an imposter Donald Trump-equivalent, closing down the Chinese EPA (if it ever existed) or are they Tariff-complicated, proving something to somebody in the aftermath of who delayed public disclosure the most, or the longest for whose political expedience? Who will win the Tariff Wars  or lose the most innocent, hapless residents in deaths to this first pandemic of this generation? Bananas and bats and Banana Republics, the countries continue, shelter in place.

Peter Bray


The Question

I look askance, paste on a smile;
Heart produces a flutter.
My brain flits to a different place,
one I had never known before.
Questions cluster around the heart…next?
I ask.
Not today. Tomorrow?
The uncertainty creeps deeper and I only have passed one walker.

Jan Radesky


Send your poems or short prose to Mary Susan Gast for possible inclusion in this column as we support one another during the coronavirus pandemic.  Email to msgast45 at gmail dot com.

Local poets and authors on social distancing – “Going the Distance” (002)

Going the Distance

Local writers offer strength, hope, and solidarity in a time of social distancing

Appearing in the print edition of the Benicia Herald, April 3, 2020

Tuesdays with Helen

Helen is my closest friend of fifty years. We raised our kids in tandem sharing many heartbreaks and happy moments. The Covid-19 virus is invading our lifelong friendship. Helen lives in Walnut Creek. She can’t really see very well anymore and she can’t drive. She was my Tuesday date. I would go to Walnut Creek, take her to doctor’s appointments and shopping; we’d get pedicures, and go to the movies. Before coronavirus.

Now everything is closed except the grocery stores. Because of physical limitations we can’t walk far; sitting outside is not a great option either. The cold makes us stiff; we both have arthritis. Symptoms that often plague me at non-virus times, happening now, raise the question of whether my aching joints, sinus headaches, red itchy eyes, or lack of energy are a threat to friends. These are the kind of symptoms seniors tend to get with Covid-19. And Helen’s adult son lives with her. He goes out and who knows where he goes? And what he might bring home? So many questions.

In these difficult times I am left with two choices. Grocery shopping with her, or not.

Here’s the rub. She’s a very tactile person, a hugger. And she likes to pick everything up, touch it, squeeze it, read the labels, expiration dates, etc. She carries a magnifying glass with her. It takes forever. She’s lonely and friendly and likes to talk to people. People respecting the six-foot physical distance aren’t as receptive these days. They want to get in and get out. I have offered to order food for her online and have it sent. She has no technology in her home besides the jitterbug phone I got her so she could call from wherever for help if needed. She is not receptive to more technology.

I am torn up. If it was a family member, like my mother or sister, I would just put my foot down and insist that she accept food ordering and delivery. But this being her only opportunity to move among the living, I can’t discourage it. Her son still takes her to the store. It is still an ordeal.

Beth Grimm


The Way of Balance

In everything evil, the potential for good;
in everything good, the potential for evil.
We live by the grace of the Great Mystery
and the goodness of one human being toward another.

Ojibwe teaching


Send your poems or short prose to Mary Susan Gast for possible inclusion in this column as we support one another during the coronavirus pandemic.  Email to msgast45 at gmail dot com.

Local poets and authors on social distancing – “Going the Distance” (001)

Going the Distance

Local writers offer strength, hope, and solidarity in a time of social distancing

Appearing in the print edition of the Benicia Herald, April 1, 2020

Corona

Corona,
halo of death—
a crown
no one wants to wear.

We isolate ourselves in fear—
give up trains and planes—
the touch of a hand,
the embrace of a friend.

We hide under blankets
in unmarked tents,
in the last room
that has a view of the sunset.

The natural world continues—
a hummingbird quivers in the air,
a tree blossoms into luscious green,
a warm breeze rustles the butterflies awake.

Standing 6 feet away
from someone else,
I watch the sun
disappear behind the trees—
each of us crowned
with its light.

Johanna Ely

Two Weeks Ago

my windows were pass-throughs,
outside inviting play in faithful
light of freedom

undistracted frolic
splendor in little fragments
costs nothing to sing in this space
now each day comes with a price
virus unfolding like a crumbled map
roads to new paths uncertain

powerful     pivotal     ploughs

drops into the unknown
stops any hope.

Stay in             social distance
masks to conceal     gloves to ensure
eyes reveal hesitation to look
beyond the fear

my mind wants to block
locked like my windows are now
grief begins to cover
as I huddle underneath a fleece blanket.

Two weeks ago
my world now memorized by my heart
must remember          must not forget
this is where faith begins.

Suzanne Bruce

Send your poems or short prose to Mary Susan Gast for possible inclusion in this column as we support one another during the coronavirus pandemic.  Email to msgast45 at gmail dot com.

Solano County grade for Social Distancing – lowest in Bay Area

Coronavirus: Bay Area Social Distancing Graded by County

NBC Bay Area, by Kris Sanchez • March 31, 2020


For anyone wondering how the Bay Area is doing overall in terms of social distancing, there’s a map for that.

Data company Unacast used cellphone data and demographics to create an interactive map with social distancing grades by county.

Here’s what the map indicates for the Bay Area and California:

  • Eight of nine Bay Area counties get an “A” for staying put.
  • Best: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties saw a more than 60% decrease in distance traveled.
  • Solano County fared the worst but still receives a “B” with a 37% decrease in distance traveled.
  • Overall in California, urban counties are faring better at staying put and rural counties are seeing more movement.