2020/1

i could start this all off with a heavy sigh,

typing the words;

“2020 has taught me to be myself.”

yet i know i’d find myself stuck after those 7 sappy words,

not knowing what else to say.

because we’ve all lived through the horrors of last year,

some of us worse than others.

oceans of fire that engulfed Australia,

fearing nothing that stood in its way.

a tsunami washed over the globe,

a tsunami of disease that soon locked us into our houses,

tearing us away from everything and everyone.

masks were brought up,

causing some to say

“i can’t breathe,”

three words that would later be chanted

by crowds of protesters all over the world,

standing up for those who could no longer speak,

standing alongside those who were finally heard.

on a hot summer afternoon,

sitting on a rock somewhere in a mountain,

the first few videos popped up,

a rumbling cloud of darkened ashes,

erupting into a fiery ball,

launching buildings into the air,

killing many and injuring thousands.

one disaster seemed to flow into the next,

a curse that 2020 seemed to have been put under.

yet through the clouds of despair,

some hope peeked through.

“we did it Joe, we did it.”

a call of freedom to many.

some of us took out the yoga mats,

sweating profusely in front of our screens,

screens that connected us to our loved ones and friends,

providing a few laughs and comforts

when it all seemed too much to bear.

while the clock striking midnight

did not bring a magical end to it all,

it brings new chances, new dreams…

dreams to travel again,

to one day be able to kiss my friends and family,

they lie on the horizon,

waiting for me to grab them.