Empty streets, forgotten buildings

Haunted by the ghosts of normality

Whispering of a time

Before

Is a dream

When hands were held, stores filled

Smiles not covered

Fear not embedded in minds

Tired minds

Terrified minds

Twisted and turned minds

Now

Is a loud scream, it is not a whisper

Not a breath, but a roar

Something that cannot be ignored

Friendly faces turned into strangers by masks

Six feet away

An uncrossable ocean

After

After is a question mark

Far off

A mirage in the distance

Shimmering and waving and changing form

We know nothing will ever be the same

Yet we wish for a time

Before.