it was while the world was upside down
that you learned to ride a bike
I watched pride bloom on your face
confidence has always been your strong suit, my dear

you bathed and danced and negotiated for dessert
rejoicing in the absence of school
the abdication of basically all the rules
like it wasn’t a thing
as if everything was fine
and not unraveling rapidly

this morning I noticed the birds again
the grass has started turning
leaves on the trees are burgeoning
all harbingers of spring
carrying on with their normal routine
a small sign that even what goes dormant is still alive underneath
they can’t cancel everything

and I wonder what you will remember of this strange time
our lives simplified radically
I watch you play outside, carefree
oblivious to the wildfire that’s caught hold
just outside your line of sight
go on, my dear
joy is contagious as well as fear