I want to live in a world where prompted to write a “space poem” I think of something other than social distancing, the space between us, how much I miss being in the same room with you, how I long to hug you again, and when will this end. I tell myself I've been distant from so many people I love for a long, long time. Some live far away and others live only in memory, so this isn't something new. I tell myself the internet is a blessing, that we can engage with family and friends in ways we never could 50 years ago, and long distance phone calls won't bankrupt us like they used to. I tell myself all these things, but it doesn't help much. The space between us has put me in an eerie place; I feel like I've landed in the Twilight Zone or been trapped in a nightmare searching for human contact that never comes. I tell myself one day I will wake up and this will all be over, but right now, locked in seclusion's bubble, that's a hard sell and I'm not buying it. I know I'm not alone; we're all together in this space between us, holding tight to each other with hope we can close the distance before all hope is lost. ~Elise Skidmore ©2020
