Days of quarantine upon us, I find myself wearing different shoes. Nothing matches, not the fear-filled air with pear blossoms in bloom, nor sun’s heat paired with coolness of early spring, nor my footwear. Cooped up but in the yard, I stand in pjs, camera in hand, capturing the world unturning. these flowers leaving me yearning for something I used to call normal, the things that got me out of bed: sunrise, early commute, light in my eyes, tearing up and sneezing. I’m starting to lose faith, ask where my God went when all has turned to silence. I’m starting to resent my family, nitpick, hate my dog. I want to rip up the carpet, demolish the bathroom tile, repaint the kitchen, anything for a change and why oh why can’t they just put their toys away? Instead, it’s back to the yard. Back to a twig sanity. Open the lens. Breathe. Click. Copyright 2020 Katherine Gotthardt
Bio:
Katherine Gotthardt, M.Ed. is a poetry and prose writer and an award-winning author hailing from Bristow, Virginia. A founding member and the current president of Write by the Rails, the Prince William Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club, Katherine has authored eight books. Her most recent book, Get Happy, Dammit, was released by Local Gems Press this month. Learn more about her work at www.KatherineGotthardt.com..
Donation Appeal:
Throughout June and July, we will be presenting on this web site work by poets and artists responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you will find these works relevant, comforting and inspiring as we all cope with the economic and health-related fallout.
As you view the work on this site each day, we would like to encourage you to donate to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). Their mission “ is to feed our neighbors in need by providing dignified access to supplemental groceries. AFAC is seeing a record number of families due to the COVID-19 pandemic as families who never thought they would ever be in need are now showing up at our doors for much needed food.” And, in keeping with our hunger-focused efforts, you may also want to visit the Poetry X Hunger website where poems by many poets are posted and are being used by anti-hunger organizations.”
Throughout June and July, we will be presenting on this web site work by poets and artists responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you will find these works relevant, comforting and inspiring as we all cope with the economic and health-related fallout.
Please consider donating to AFAC. If you do, let us know which poet or artist inspired you so we can send you a personal thank you.
