I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.
Category: Uncategorised
It is not what I was expecting, and everything I expected, should it happen,
For three years plus I’ve managed to steer clear. I followed precautions, I did what I thought needed to be done, and it still happened.
At first it felt like a strong cold; swift and unexpected, and far too early for the flu. The symptoms, the cough, the headache and chills, had me doubting but was it 12 or 24 hours into it I was sure.
COVID-19 hit me hard.
The fatigue, brain fog, delusional sleep, cough, congestion and headache; my body felt brittle. I couldn’t get up; I didn’t feel like moving and was pretty sure I couldn’t. Then, there was the lack of taste, lack of appetite, total lack of motivation.
A simple at-home test confirmed the reality I had been living with for much longer than I expected.
For months now health officials have been cautioning against the latest strain. Over these past years I’ve masked up, washed and regularly sanitized my hands. I’ve been vaccinated with regular booster shoots as recommended, as available. Actually, I was expecting I would receive my next shot next month, the latest in a series of boosters that would protect me from this ugly virus.
Still it happened.
COVID-19 is still, very much, a reality.
I wasn’t able to do the things I usually do. I didn’t feel much like doing anything. Today might be the first day I’ve really felt like doing something.
It’s an improvement I can only hope will keep me moving forward.
A sign of the times past.
Our Technicolor reality has changed.
We no longer repair but replace.
Technology that lasted, no longer does.
Obsolescence is expected in our progress,
high definition lives defined now by a
landfill wasteland full of discarded electronics.
No longer serviceable.
We no longer watch like we used to.
We no longer can.
© 2023 j.g. lewis
Embracing reminders of who we were, not
who we are not, we remain convinced of
this confusion and seldom make the right
assumption in moments where we wish
to define ourselves. We will need any sort
of control over any areas of a life that is
primarily accessible to all. What we share,
when we share, occasionally goes beyond
intimacy expected in the moment. Caution,
isolated thought amongst the many you are
thinking or have thought; why or why not.
We need to breathe for our self, even mere
mouthfuls of tainted air can absolve you of
the guilt, even temporarily. Little freedom.
This cruel reality is replacing the ordinary.
© 2023 j.g. lewis
