I’ve graduated from wearing cloth masks to boring surgical masks

The blue ones still remind me of hospitals

So, I have the black version

They are disposable but can be worn more than once

No washing necessary as before but 

I still leave the form of my lipsticked lips inside them

The down side of masks is that it’s hard to hear others talk

It’s hard to to be heard

My smile can’t be seen 

They are inconvenient, but

Masks are essential during these times

The N95 variety preferably 

Omicron is not playing games

It definitely means business

These years will be remembered as masked years 

A few weeks turned into a few months, and now a few years

If there were more unity among us

Life would have been simpler

But some don’t see it that way

They don’t want to be told what to do

They don’t want to conform

They question science 

They don’t trust the experts

Countries need to cooperate too

We are not isolated entities anymore

What happens in one country will affect the other ones 

Unless we come together and be united in our thoughts

Unless we are mindful of the influence of our actions on others

We will be wearing masks for a while longer

This is our reality right now

What we do affects the outcome 

December 26th, 2021