April 2020 – Page 2 – iblamethequarantine

And in Other Windows . . .

Today, the biggest news is not the virus but a shooting in Canada, in which, last count, 23 died.

Bad news. Bad news.

It may be twisted that it comforts me to remind myself that there are plenty of other dangers out there besides Covid, plenty of other sadnesses, losses, reasons to feel bad.

Maybe this is because it also reminds me there are reasons to feel good out there too as some of today’s posts remind us: spring and fresher air, sunlight and baby birds learning to fly, clouds, rain, smiles behind masks.

These posts.

Feel better.

–KLB

Novel Window

During my time at home I decided to write my second novel The Blue Academy

–Felicia Taly, Writer

Texas Window in Boston

I blame the quarantine for my broken heart. The first two weeks were not so bad. I wrote music, poems, and finally had the chance to be creative. Then the third week hit and classes came back. Slinking out from under my bed came depression

And his sidekick panic attacks. Deep sleep became a memory. I allowed my adamantine heart to bear the weight but not break.

A call from a friend brought a knocked my stone heart and a crack appeared. I cried with another human being for the first time in years and I didn’t want anyone to put me together again. The crack widened as my distance from friends and family was realized more each day. Each call from mom where the laughter of my sister and brothers was carried on the wind widened the crack as it pierced deeper and deeper into the rock. Each zoom hangout, though comforting, served to remind me that it’s been weeks since I’ve felt any human contact.

Yesterday I lost my job. I wondered how I would pay rent (my family came and saved the day) and my heart hit its limit. I cried all day today. At the madness of it all.

But then my heart revealed the geode within. I cried and laughed that the birds were back as I walked to the store. The trees are in bloom, The sky bright blue and the frigid crisp air all reminding me that I was still drinking in life. The crystal center of my heart, now brought to light, refracted a living rainbow of this moment – terror and joy and sorrow all together. And I know when the world returns, that will stay. I blame the quarantine for that too.

–Gregory Petershack, From San Antonio Texas originally
Studying for and MA in literary theory and pedagogy at Boston College

Window from Puerto Rico

Once upon a time, in a tiny planet named Earth, creatures, named human beings, built big cities and powerful armies. These messy creatures infected the planet… Planet Earth sent humans multiple warnings… humans didn’t listen.

Planet Earth decided it was time to stop the infectious and irresponsible actions stubborn humans were taking. Human actions infected it’s own. Human being actions created a perfect environment for a microscopic virus. Humans got sick, also paranoid… humans, started blaming each other. War erupted and humans burnt almost all of the human living creatures from the face of.. yes, from the face of the Earth.

Long story short… now, Planet Earth live happily ever after… Again!

Moral in the Story… If humans don’t help each other and help take care of Planet Earth, Planet Earth will “allow” humans to start All Over Again… FROM SCRATCH..

Planet Earth, God, Mother Nature, call it whatever you want, but get it for once and for all…

They, (or is it HE?), ALWAYS WIN!!!

–JC Cruz-MassasSan Juan, Puerto Rico, March 2020

Roadside Attraction

Yesterday, I went for a long drive. Well, as long a drive as one can have these days in Rhode Island, which is only 30 miles x 60 miles. Yes, the entire state. Right now, if you cross the border into Massachusetts or Connecticut, both of which are about ten minutes from my house, you are required to quarantine for 14 days. There are officials at the RI borders – airports, highways, train stations – taking license plate numbers, names, and phone numbers, so they can track your compliance.

I get it.

We’re this tiny place between two hot spots: Boston and New York City. Can’t be too careful.

But I needed to see the water. So I drove to Galilee. I stayed in my car except to take these shots.

With white-tipped peaks and churning waves, wind blasting and sunlight blinding, even from the car window, Nature made its point. You’re small. I’m big.

Some days that thought would intimidate me, but yesterday, it comforted. So did my car.

Enjoy this (not-so-ironic-anymore) tribute to the vehicle.

–KLB

Strange Faces

I’ve never liked grocery shopping before. I didn’t mind it, but more often than not I would choose to stay home. Now, I’d do anything to walk into a store.

I drive my mom to physical therapy every week. I don’t go inside the office. Across the parking lot, directly in front of me is a Super 1 Foods. I’ve never liked Super 1 very much. Now, it’s agony to sit in the car and stare at this store. What I wouldn’t give to browse the aisles, to help select our food, to compare prices.

It’s not just the shopping I want. No, I want to see faces. I’m not quarantined alone–far from it. Home almost seems too full sometimes, with an older brother home from college and three younger siblings.

No, I’m not separate from the human race. But I’ve always liked to people watch. I like to wonder about each passerby, to give them colorful stories and turn them into mythical creatures. I hunger for that silent companionship that shoppers have when they’re both looking at the same item, or when you have to figure out how to get a cart down a crowded aisle.

But now, the only strangers that I see are drivers in other cars. It only happens twice a week, and the glimpses last mere seconds.

I, a self proclaimed introvert, am longing to go shopping in the busiest store I can find. I want to spend the whole day in town, doing absolutely nothing. I want to go up and ask anyone and everyone whatever question springs to mind when I see them.

Insane, I know, but I blame the quarantine.

–Abbi Fisher, https://the-blue-shoe-skidoo.com/

The Scene: Anthropocine

The Pandemic of 2020

It began as a life changing disease in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Within weeks, it expanded globally. As virulent as the bubonic plague in fourteenth century Europe. It spread with mounting fury; like a nuclear Armageddon. Challenging the survival and future of human life. Established systems and practices of humanity are shattered by a highly infectious new coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19). Age-old practices of relationships, connections, and cooperative endeavors collapsing.

Ancient priorities of sharing among humans were flipped from positive to negative. The grounding of communication has switched from personal to electronic. Human evolutionary has changed the physical world. Only science can provide some relief from this scourge.

One could blame the pandemic quarantines restricting our opportunities for connection and mutual support. But that would be ignorant and short-sighted.

When we look deeper, we must acknowledge the role of human induced global geological and climate change in the Anthropocene era. The power of human Intelligence, science and population growth have changed our planetary home. From an economy of abundance we are now confronted by scarcity of critical resources: energy, water, clean air, etc. We have disrupted the ecological balance of earth’s complex natural systems. These deeper changes are incidental contributors to the current pandemic.

Let us hope that from this collective grief we may be inspired to accept our complicity with these mounting threats to our livelihood on our planet home.

Wider View

I’ve heard people say two things:

-“I can’t wait to get back to normal.”

-“Things will never be the same again.”

As a fiction writer, I plan the future. I make the future. For my characters.

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that narrative is a construct. I expect the world to conform to the structures I’ve become familiar with as a storyteller. Draw the reader in. Establish desire. Drop the body. Raise the stakes. Add a conflict. Build in in a subplot. Deepen the character. Thwart desire. Climax! Denoument. Resolution.

These touchstones make story happen.

But life is not really a narrative arc. We bring this structure to the experiences we have not just for the stories we tell other, but for the stories we tell ourselves. It orders and helps make sense of the vast universe of sensations, memories, emotions, and relationships we have.

Normal. New normal. No normal.

Sense.

Today’s stories widen these windows and help us make sense.

–KLB

Student Window #3

I blame quarantine for many things: my dance studio closing, limits in grocery stores, etcetera etcetera. I want to blame quarantine for making me think I can’t express myself in dance anymore and that I am confined to a five by three space to do so. We all want to blame quarantine. Hell I want to blame quarantine on making me miss bashing school IN school. However shouldn’t we blame it on quarantine. The truth is we should blame it on ourselves. If we continue to go out and not stay inside people’s lives are in danger. We need to stay inside and adhere to the rules because so far we aren’t. We are at about 50% of people listening which means our world may never recover. If we get that number to 80%, corona might as well be gone in three weeks. But no one is listening to the pleas from people’s families of those who have died. No one seems to care that people are in fact dying. If no one seems to care people are dying how are we supposed to keep on living anyways. Seems kind of pointless if you ask me. People not caring about one another is why corona isn’t ending. In fact I retract my statement earlier, blame is too harsh a word. We need to help one another and make people listen. We as a community need to stop blaming quarantine at this point and make a difference.

–Elizabeth Pinheiro, Mt. Hope High School, junior

Student Window #2

As Corona Virus has taken over the lives of everyone, we all have been doing our own thing quarantining at home. My experience with quarantining has actually been good. With my sister in college in Alabama and my brother at Prep school, I don’t get to see them really at all so it is nice to have everyone home. I don’t really get bored since there around so I get the most out of my day for quarantining. I have been playing Mario Kart a lot lately and binge watching Netflix. Quarantining has made me a lot less stressed as I have time for almost everything I want to get done in a day. I actually don’t mind online schooling but I don’t think I could handle it in the fall so I am really hoping that everything will clear up and our world will be healthy again. Of Course quarantining has downfalls, as no more seeing friends, no more going out, and no getting to do what you want. I consider it a somewhat vacation because it has both benefits and downfalls. Since I have a lot of free time now, I have finally been able to work and get money. I am sad about school because since I will be leaving for Prep school next year, it is sad that I won’t be able to spend my last quarter at Burrillville High School with my friends. I will eventually start to miss school after a few weeks, but for now I am happy quarantining at home. I also miss my friends and I Basketball league which we had to suspend because of the virus. I would have to say that Basketball is what I am most excited for once our quarantining is over. I hope for the best and that everyone stays safe!

–Brayden Deschamps, Burrillville High School, English 10 Honors