A Song for the Silent Streets
Just the other day it all seemed the same
as we followed the routines of our lives
but now everything has suddenly changed
and we're all locked up together inside.
Makes me think how a month ago
I was carefree in a crowd at the park
or at the theater for a new show,
sometimes we're so close, yet so far apart.
Now, I can't hear the traffic's steady roar
and it's like New York City is asleep.
Of course we'll come straight back stronger than before
but it's eerie to see the empty streets.
Then I think of those walking through the fire
and how the devoted health care workers
are risking everything for others' lives
by fighting a virus without a cure.
And at the store people are stocking shelves
at the place I always shop down the street
and suddenly they're heroes risking their lives
to make sure we have enough food to eat.
Times like this make me stop and think
what is essential for society
but all I can do now is sit and sing
from a window over a silent street.
Still this gives us a chance to disengage
and drop our petty animosities
and look at our lives in a different way
to recognize new opportunities.
And as we work to get this problem solved
we'll think what's most important for our lives
and just as life is precious to us all
we all need one another to survive.
I believe in our ingenuity
to return our health and prosperity
and soon we'll all be back teeming in the streets
with a new sense of our humanity.
Garrett Buhl Robinson Ⓒ 2020
April 29, 2020
