Portrait of a Week through Facebook Posts and Twitter Feeds

I have moved through the morning thinking I might find some writing time.  It's not been that kind of morning.

The other night, when I couldn't sleep, I assembled this blog post.  It's a look back through the week that just passed as I recorded Facebook posts, which are either exactly the same as my Twitter tweets or slightly longer. 

In some ways, it feels like a post that is cheating.  In other ways, I like the snapshot of life in these kinds of snippets.  The abbreviated format reminds me of certain kinds of poetry, where the short length offers a distillation process.

Monday night, 3/16/2020, 9:30 p.m.

I was thinking about getting ready for bed and found myself with an overwhelming urge to sleep with a night light on--the world seems full of danger, and I want to be like my childhood self who believed that a bit of light could protect me from evil that lurks.

Sunday afternoon, 3/15/2020

My old poetry goal (circa undergraduate school) used to be inclusion in the Norton Anthology. My new poetry goal: writing a poem that people tweet/post as one that helps them through a pandemic or other type of national crisis.

Saturday afternoon, 3/14/2020

Next week I resolve to spend less time scrolling and looking for plague information and more time sending poems out into the world.

Saturday morning, 3/14/2020

I find myself incredibly anxious at the idea that the public library might close indefinitely with no warning, even though I own plenty of books, read and unread, for just this very reason.

and just a bit earlier on 3/14/2020

I have now bought enough brown rice to last for the next 6 months, plus a variety of beans, both canned and dry. No toilet paper to be found at WalMart Neighborhood Market at 6 a.m. EDT South Florida.

Friday, March 13, 2020, 8 p.m.

Coming home tonight, I saw groups of youth sports practicing in city fields and rec areas. I know I should be concerned about public health, but I was glad to see kids, parents, and coaches, under a beautiful evening sky.

Thursday, March 12, 2020 afternoon

I think I've eaten 1000 calories worth of ginger snaps today. I'd like to tell you that I believed that they contained lots of ginger to boost my immune system, but that would be a lie.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020 afternoon

If PBS needs a host for a show that mixes crafts, cooking, gardening, and preparing for the end of the world, I am ready to serve our nation in this way. And I have friends who will come on the show as guests to show us how we can make hand sanitizer out of ordinary household items and cloth wipes that are so much more festive than those sterile kinds that come in plastic tubs from a store. And then we'll bake an amazing cake, which will also soothe a weary nation.