Photo by Bruno Nascimento
Stepping Back
We walk through life with one foot in
tomorrow,
even if one is in today.
The pandemic has taken away our stride,
forced us to bring the forward foot
back,
almost as if we’re standing
still.
We’ve had to learn to wiggle,
and sway
and dance in place,
because we have to move.
Standing still means to be
stuck
in Tuesday
forever
when we’re longing for Wednesday
but not sure why.
We find ourselves grateful for small things,
like only 30 days in April,
as if May was a new
beginning.
We say the poem about the months in our heads
to reassure ourselves.
Maybe all this “we” is really just me,
but I changed it because I wanted to put one foot
back
into the way it used to be.
The Author
Donna Harlan is a graduate of East Tennessee State University and has published one collection of poetry titled Bench by the Pond. Her work has been featured in several publications including Wingless Dreamer, Poets Choice, Nine Cloud Journal, and Finding the Birds. She resides in Jonesborough, Tennessee, with her husband where they delight in watching the sun rise everyday over the lake.
Donna Harlan