isolation, irritation, bitterness
should i discuss isolation? how fed up we became? my parents and i were irritable to begin with — one could only imagine how bitter we are now. being stuck indoors with the same people for months on end only left room for arguments about if we should have something new for dinner, or nachos for the third night in a row. we became so bored that we resorted to playing celebrity trivia on the television. i couldn’t tell you how many covid cases were reported in toronto yesterday, but i can name every film johnny depp has been in.
could i properly describe how strange life became? how days were over in a blink of an eye, and nights seemed to last for an eternity? how time lost all meaning, and every day became the same. it was a continuous loop for months on end. my friends in different provinces would talk about going out with their friends during the summer, while i continuously had nothing to report. lying in bed from dawn till dusk was not very entertaining, but it was all i could bring myself to do.
how do i explain the inconsiderate — the anti-maskers and politicians not taking things seriously? how do i share the fear?
will i live to see the end?
when the day comes that i have to describe to someone what the pandemic was like, will i know how? will i ever again know the feeling of greeting someone with a hug or shaking someone’s hand? will i even live to see the end? despite my unfaltering bitterness, i am optimistic. the fear that 2020 has instilled in me has also forced me to grow, and i am grateful for the growth. at the ripe age of seventeen, i have become well aware of my mortality, and how quickly everything i hold dear can be stripped away.
3 minute read
