A Collection of Poems

by Nicole Bickel

Poem #1: The Virus
It hit hard.
The feeling was slow
The depression sneaking in
It was gone for a while
Welcome back old friend
I am isolated once again.

Poem #2: The End
Slow at first
But it creeps along
I’ve lost myself
What’s going on?
My friends are scared
About the mask I wear
That hides my smile
That’s been a gone for a while
COVID ruined my chance
Don’t look back not a glance
That life is gone
You have to move on.

Poem #3: Isolation
I am stuck in my room
Stuck in my own head
Stuck in this hatred
This monster had put the world behind a mask
But this is no robber
But it is robbing my teenage years
My Senior year
Down the suffering and draining years
All for a mask and isolation
For me to be trapped behind bars of my own mind.

Poem #4: Essential Worker
I am essential
I am here to help
I wear a mask
I wear gloves
I sweat all day
I ache and pain
I get bleach on my skin
I do this for you
I am essential
You walk in with no mask
You wear it improperly
You do not care
You are selfish
You are the reason people are dying
You make me wear this mask
You put others in danger
YOU ARE THE VIRUS.

Poem #5: Daylight Savings
Now here we are once again
But this time it gets darker
The light fades at 4:30
The golden glow fades faster
The darkness grows longer
Under curfew like a 16-year-old boy on the loose
But what about the hours being cut
The food I must put on the table
15 dollars is more than I can do for my family.

Poem #6: Waves
The second wave
Not a friendly gesture
More of one with dead silence
It’s gone
But then back in
In a matter of 9 months
We have done nothing
Egg-on the world
We are the best
But yet not a simple solution
Put a mask on your vessel
But cough on your mother
The people know best
Especially in the U.S.