Writing the Apocalypse is a weekly series featuring the poems, essays, and recollections of

Puma Perl, with subject matter influenced by her experiences

as a NYC resident during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before, After, and During| BY PUMA PERL

If it’s Wednesday,

there must be a poem waiting,

or at least a long nap

 

We’re not yet in the “after”

and are moving past the “during”

 

The double masks cover the triple masks,

the made-up masks, the scared masks,

the duplicitous masks, the pretense

of no masks over soul masks

 

Mid-week still means nothing

without a “hump day”

 

In the beginning of the “during,”

I wrote down everything I did

 

Washed floors

Called my aunt

Walked the dog

Washed floors

Walked the dog

 

Without a dog to walk

my mornings are shapeless

and redundant

 

Sometimes I have Appointments

Usually, my walks are directionless

Past East Broadway Past Grand

Up to the park and back

Past Delancey Past Madison

Across another park and back

 

Is there an “after”

or just an aftermath?

 

Help is on the way

Hope is on the way

Bombs are on the way

 

Countless articles and programs

look back at Blade Runner NY

Empty streets and siren sounds

Restaurants go up to 50%

Grief sits at the counter,

like an Edward Hopper painting

 

On Sunday, the clocks spring forward

Longer shadows in the park

Pop-up bandshells, painted walls

 

We gather somewhere between

the during and the after,

talk of the future, think of the past

 

If it’s Wednesday,

there must be a Thursday

bringing us closer to a Saturday

and it’s easier to park on Sunday

 

It’s 60 degrees

and there are some smiles

behind the masks,

vaccine lines move along faster

than food pantry lines,

tomorrow seems possible

 

But now it’s today,

a Wednesday or a Thursday,

and there must be a poem

hanging around somewhere.

 

© puma perl, 03/11/2021

 

Puma Perl is a poet and writer, with five solo collections in print. The most recent is Birthdays Before and After (Beyond Baroque Books, 2019.) She is the producer/creator of Puma’s Pandemonium, which brings spoken word together with rock and roll, and she performs regularly with her band Puma Perl and Friends. She’s received three New York Press Association awards in recognition of her journalism, and is the recipient of the 2016 Acker Award in the category of writing. Her most recent books can be found by clicking here.

 

Chelsea Community News is made possible with the help of our awesome advertisers, and the support of our readers. If you like what you see, please consider taking part in our GoFundMe campaign (click here). To make a direct donation, give feedback, or send a Letter to the Editor, email scott@chelseacommunitynews.com.