POEM
by Erlie Lopez
two am of a new year
after raising a wineglass to the eve countdown
the future spirals into my daze
abed with a clock ticking in my head
in seeming calendar whirl –
one, seven, twelve, till
three hundred sixty-five.
life moves on
even with covid and as it lingers
along with other scavengers
bared by laboratory numbers –
blood count, lipid profile, hormonal balance,
immune system state, and in the past two years,
also by a nose swab.
but, lest we forget, to be human
is not just to breathe
the air impure and stale
but to surface the microscope’s unseen –
love in the heart,
kindness in the spirit,
peace in the mind.
life then dances on,
never mind the rough floors
and tunes off-key,
as the music beat is “Hope”,
that thing with feathers
that perches in the soul.
(yes, dear Emily Dickinson)
let’s then dance
to a bright new year!
About the Poet
Erlie Lopez is a Filipina retired from the frenetic world of Public Relations and Advertising in Metro Manila. She was, in the last 18 years, head of a PR agency she co-founded. In her independent and sedate world now, she mostly reads, writes, stays socially connected, soaks in Nature, and develops new interests and skills adapting to the pandemic mode of life. She has also returned to a first love – poetry – which keeps her heart open to the grace and rhythm of the universe.
