It was a lonely day

O N C O V I D

It was a lonely dayby Melvin Berkowitz It was a lonely day Of lonely skies And of lonely lands. It was the time when windows were not met with faces, and when streets longed for the wear of passer-bys, And once I saw the line of alones in the world. I placed myself in it And marched on with my lonely life. In this line, Friends forsaken Family forgotten I was all alone in the lonely line of the alone. Will you raise your voice? Will you dare to look directly into dreams? Do you dare to step away, to run away, to chase freedom? None spoke, Moved Or cried. It was the only lonely day, Of the lonely week Of the lonely life and year. When I saw more than a lonely line of lonely people I saw a world now empty and distant and cold. But i felt a rhythm of worldly music, of human care, of wish, and dream, and hope- for a moment perhaps, all had come to pass. That only lonely day, I felt alone but happy. I saw the world in my own eyes, And I was not instructed or guided. And all that, during a mere lonely day Of the lonely week Of the lonely month and year.

poetry & music By Andromachi Stefanou