restricted travel
mandated social distancing
isolation every day
separation from loved ones
ongoing fear of danger
potential harm death
stepping away for safety
avoidance behavior as prevention
limited gatherings public spaces
disrupted jobs education
loss grief uncertainty
underlying depression
mind-numbing numbers
disease deaths
no, not just COVID
daily life for Black Americans
400 years of Black history
after one pandemic year
fatigued mindbodyspirit
a constant drip of fear
worry vigilance
only one year
try 400 years
of all the above
white walls prisons poverty
cold solid blocks
generations of pale hands
pressing down down
a living terror of random
harassment violence murder
400 years living like this
imagine that