“Where were you?”

where were you

when the world fell apart?

when people died?

when cities shut down,

shops closed,

and livelihoods were

struck down

by an invisible pathogen?

where were you

when riots were tearing us apart

at the seams?

i was in my house

tracing over-stenciled thoughts

onto a computer screen

rewriting a novel,

attending virtual meetings,

eating junk food,

and finally feeling just

a tad bit okay

about myself.

while the world fell apart,

i was stitching myself back together

taking time to heal

that for years

i’d been trying to ignore

how much i needed it.

where was i?

let’s not skirt around it.

i was hiding.

but sometimes

the apocalypse isn’t fought

with chainsaws and violence.

sometimes it should be fought

with hiding.

staying inside

and watching the world

keep turning

even as we feel like we’re

spiraling out of control,

mother earth stays steady.

we should respect her

for that.