The COVID-19 pandemic has made me even more aware of how the world is full of opposites, which inspired me to write this poem.

~

Sirens and Birdsong

Outside my window, I hear the mournful wail of sirens, 

but at the same time birdsong.

Stark in its dichotomy:

Aliveness and potential not-aliveness.

Like Schrödinger’s cat. Two different aspects.

Nature and manmade,

Hard and soft.

Masked half-faces

and chins and mouths,

Standing out like sore thumbs.

Joy at being safe and protected, sadness at a loss

Light and dark.

Loudspeakers, a rally cry protesting this or that,

People clustered solemnly at makeshift memorials

Quiet and loud.

The whole world is opposites right now,

And probably always has been.

It’s just more apparent now.

~