COVID: The Normality Thief

Jane Lee, 12

Before Covid, my mom used to yell

“Hurry or you’ll miss the bell!”

My dad would add, “You’re going to be late!”

But then the pandemic changed our fate

I miss

The rumble of the bus

Even though I had to rush

I miss having a freshly sharpened pencil

As a writing utensil

Replaced by the clacking sound

of a keyboard on the rebound

I used to think preparing for school was a bore

Not anymore

I miss wearing barrettes ribbons, and bows

Replaced with noise canceling Bose

Now I’m at home learning in sweats

Instead of at school wearing my sweater sets

Zoom and Google meets

Replace our classroom seats

For math, it’s not bad

But for orchestra it’s just sad

It’s impossible to have a melodic session

When it’s interrupted by a laggy connection

I miss break time chatting with friends

Now I rest alone until brain break ends

The teachers try to keep kids active

But exercising alone is not attractive

Walking to town with a friend

Was once a treat until it had to end

Gone are the in-person enrichments and clubs

like history, book, drama, and journalism with buds

I miss the approaching sound of the bus

Announcing the end of the day for all of us

Now it’s just a click and a thank you

Zoom out the day is done— we push through

For our future, for all humankind, we have a common wish,

A return to our normal life, before Covid turned our world into a petri dish