Coated with Silence

Mmmmm, that coffee is just what I needed, two sugars, a dash of cinnamon. Plus, it keeps my hands warm from this soft breeze.

That sunset...coats my cheeks in the fondest of ways. Its like the sun is admiring me from afar.

I really need sunglasses, come to think of it. I will look for some later...and I have to file that habitus, study for the upcoming exam...and I have to-

Stop. This is my time to relax. I can think about all that later anyway.

Awww, look at Daisy! She's chasing her little friend again, run squirrel run! It just dashed up that tree so fast! I wonder what it would be like to be a puppy, to feel that defeat....

Listen to those birds, the vibrant lush sounds, as close as I can get to being in a rainforest.

How can the world be so quiet but so alive? I feel like the only person in the world. It was charming, like dancing in a thunderstorm, but after a while I want to go back to what we call normal...

Ugh, my back is killing me, is there anywhere to sit down? Hm, that rusty bench needs some TLC.

These thin blades of grass are crunching underneath my heavy shoes, what a satisfying sound! This is the perfect setting, green grass, orange sky, birds singing....

Its like I am in a cocoon, unaware of the dangers that can be found just outside of this park gate, just down those stairs to the subway

Then I should just enjoy it while I can! I wish their were other people out, just to see faces. Could be fun to sketch them later.

Ouch, why is my mask to itchy? I should adjust it.

Daisy! What a massive yawn that was! You tried, girlie? Here, lets lay down and gaze at the clouds Like I used to do, when I was that little girl in pigtails and overalls.

The grass is tickling my neck and I can feel a ladybug crawling on my hand. The large dome of blue and above. I am stuck in that sweet mood where pleasant ideas bring sad darker thoughts.

These kind of days mean so much to me. I know and hope we can pull through. Out of this mess. Out of this disease. I will keep waiting for the day when I can tilt my head and not see just shadows of blossoms hovering above the ground, but kids playing in that abandoned sandbox, when I can see the old lady sitting on that rusty bench, feeding the pigeons, those rats with wings.

My sigh causes the little butterflies around me to bluster upwards at the touch of my breath and I can't help but smile.

Aww, Daisy's' tail is thumping upon the ground and sending those little ants flying. She was so excited to get out of the apartment. A breeze had passed by our place and it made me want to throw open the all the windows.

Looking over at the sky, the sun is seeping lower behind the violet mountains, sinking into its bed, I am dreaming of the beautiful moonbeams that will be cast through my window tonight.

Daisy, stop nipping at the flowers! I like to listen to the sound my shoes make when they come in connect with the winding cool brick walkway that is blooming with violets.

I can hear the nightly insects begin to emerge along with the cover of darkness and hundreds of blended notes erupt into the suspended night air. A lonely cicada lets out a cry from the old magnolia tree on the side of the sidewalk.

Look at those colorful birds, hopping from claw to claw around me before taking off to their nests!

I miss being etched in sunlight when looking up at the twinkling stars. There's the park gate! How that green copper mists mysteriously, innocently, but I know that gate will swing as quickly as it is pulled open and hit me in the back. Ugh, the memories. No one is here to laugh at me now.

Hahaha, Daisy, you can't bite sound! The crickets songs mean you no harm, silly puppy.

Oh shoot, my shoes are untying. I don’t want to stop now to touch them while I am using my hip to bump the park gate open. The pleasing crunching sound continues, my feet crushing the cherry blossom petals, that have already taken their yearly descent.

Daisy is my source of joy, just like these rare joyful days in this time of panic, as she coats her fur in the petals, just like how the world coats itself in a panicky silence.

Oh, my posture is all wrong, My head should be high, heavy with hope, my shoulders should be straight and vigilant, my eyes bright and bold, reflecting emotions my mouth cannot, concealed beneath cotton fabric.

Yet, I still find myself shying down, gazing enviously at Daisy, as well as those bold people who still find time to giggle despite the panic that slowly engulfs the world.

Dang it, this expedition into the park was kind of a bust. Still thinking about depressing stuff but no matter. The scenery that exists in this neighborhood is beautiful! I am so lucky to live here!

Colors existing in a broad pallet greet me every morning and every evening. Hmm, still haven't tied my shoes and I forgot my gloves at home. The streets are deserted but I don't feel lonely; considering I have this little goofball with me.

Look at that bumblebee lazily drifting back to its hive, probably stuffed full of honey, flashing its shiny behind in the artificial light provided by that street lamp.

Finally home! Don't know if I am relived or sad....

Reaching for my brass doorknob has never been so scary...why am I shaking? In my windows, I still see the marks of my mask remaining, leaving dimples of worry within them.

Wait, what's this? If I lean slightly closer, behind me remains, a gorgeous spring setting, one reanimated from a fairytale. Even in this pandemic, taking place during my spring, the season I love, I will not let it steal my sunlight, the sunlight that coats me warmly, along with the moonbeams that carry me higher.

I will find beauty in nature, just as I find it in my dog, in other people whose shadows remain in the park.

I left when the sun was coating my face, now the moonlight coats my back, and now silence coats the world.