Looking Out

So much to look forward to 
A vacation
A cruise
A big birthday
Plans are made.

It’s January 2020 
It’s a new dawn 
A new decade
I’m feeling inspired. 

It’s only weeks later 
And we’ve opened a door
A door to loneliness
Addicted to the news.

I look through my window 
Day after day
With a sense of separation
A sense of void. 

Fearful of the stranger
The stranger with a mask
But wait
I have one too. 

Our days are long and boring. 
Nowhere to go
No-one to talk to
No human contact
Sadness and loneliness overtake me.

As I look through my window
The window that no one passes 
I lay down my head and pray 
Pray that this horrible dream 
Will end soon. 

I open my eyes again
And see the sunrise
At a small corner of the window
The sun rises 
There is hope.

--Rosie Riviera-Lopez

About Rosie

Rosie Riviera-Lopez is an artist and educator who lives in Port Hope. She and her husband moved to Northumberland County from nearby Durham region in 2020. They have spent a lot of time discovering Northumberland’s many attributes.