Life As I See It

Slam Poetry by Lucy Shanahan

They say I can’t can’t can’t
Can’t see my friends ,can’t see my family, can’t even go to dance, can’t see my cousin’s new puppy, can’t travel, so no need to pack a bag, can’t even go to practice and learn to twirl a flag

They keep saying no no no
No sports, no school, no graduation to go to, no going to work for some, no groups over 10 can have any fun

I am so scared scared scared
Scared for my loved ones, scared for the world, scared for all the little boys and little girls, scared that the news isn’t true, scarred for all the things they haven’t even proved

I Don’t know where to go go go
Go to the store, then go back home, go outside, but always go alone, go to my desk in my room, and see my classmates using zoom, go to bed try not to cry, go to have dreams and wait for light

But then I stop to think think think
I Think it can’t be all that bad, I think it can’t be all that sad, I think maybe it can be a positive situation, I think that finally healthcare workers will get so much more appreciation

Then my heart starts to change change change
Change my mind, change my attitude, Change my ways to see, change my point of view

Now I see see see
See families at the dinner table, see communities becoming united, see the sidewalks filled with those that are able, see moms and daughters hand in hand, see the smiles and think things can’t be that bad

Now we get more more more
More moments and time together, more moments that will last forever, more opportunities to laugh and play, more appreciation for those little things, more caution about cleanliness, more washing hands for 20 seconds, never less

Now we gotta have faith faith faith
Faith in community and family, faith in the Lord above, faith in the one you believe, faith that things are gonna be ok, faith in the ones we trust today

And now its time to love love love
Love for all my sisters and my brothers, love for
the ones who are my blood and ones with different mothers, love for all the people of the earth, love for those Ive known since birth, love because we’re in this together, love because we don’t know any better

And with our will will will
We will get through this as a nation, we will live and learn then take a really long vacation

I promise you we’ll get through this crisis hand in hand, and just remember smiles and laughs will never be banned

Lucy Shanahan
April 2020