It is strange to be far from Brooklyn during the coronavirus public health crisis. My neighbors have called me or texted me to make sure that I am still breathing. It’s like that —we really have to be vigilant. The arts community has taken a huge hit: musicians,poets,filmmakers,choreographers, even a most famous drag queen all now gone. And here I am on a small college campus in SW Virginia with few people around. The residency at Hollins University has brought me wonderful students, time to read and yes time to write. While not totally self-isolated, it almost feels that way. I am grateful for this beauty and calm in the midst of a pandemic. I pray each day for all of us on this planet and while this is a time of great stress, it is for some a time for reflection, creativity and thoughtfulness. I know that many friends are finding ways to use this time for their work, but I know it is taking a toll on most of us. And there is great grief across the city, the nation, around the world.
We cannot return to a society that can so easily collapse on poor and working people. 20 million people out of work in the U.S. tells us that the work was not working for them. We have to do different. We have to take care of humans, creatures of the ground and creatures in the sky, the air, water and yes, violets.
