Like the rest of you (I hope), I’ve been staying at home for the last seven weeks or so.

I’m not getting much work done, but I’ve been tweeting a lot, and I realized today that many of these tweets–particularly the poems I write–read like diary entries. Looking back at the last several weeks of tweets, I can see the story of my quarantine. Maybe some of these episodes will remind you of yours?

I’d love it if you commented with a poem about your own quarantine, thus far.

The last “normal” day:

I’m trying to stay chipper in the face of the news. The rain here in L.A. held off till I finished my outstanding run/workout in the park. And now the much-needed rain is here! I received a job lead. We had a great time at the Getty yesterday on Shushan Purim. Baruch Hashem.

Mar 16

Things feel relatively mostly normal at the moment. The usual musings of “How do writers who write so well punctuate so badly?” and “Oooh, this is so much better if I switch that hyphen to a semicolon!” #editing

Mar 18

My tiny home is

full of humans but I long

for an hour alone.

My last run:

Running this quiet

morning, forgot till passing

neighbors at 6 feet.

Mar 18

Snapped at kids twice. I

am so tired–slept well

but think all day long.

Mar 18

Thing I learned about myself today: I need to #sing, loud. Got in the car w/husband for 30 min to park where there’s a view and sang to the radio, very loud. I feel human again.

Mar 18

Past ten. Three of my

kids still chatter. Will I bribe

them to wake at eight?

Mar 19

Five family mem-

bers vote the youngest kid off

our tiny island.

Mar 20

Challah dough rises

in kitchen. Children slow to

rise from their warm beds.

Mar 22

Married twenty years.

What blessing! (Even without our

scheduled getaway.)

Mar 22

For the 1st time in years, I want to buy flour 2 wks before turning over my kitchen for Pesach, & there’s still no flour in the store. I will hold onto my last 3-ish cups so I can make a home-made challah for next Shabbos (store-bought I can find plenty). No baking fun w/kids.

Mar 24

I have never loved Costco before like I loved it today. Also, I don’t remember so happily waiting in a line for 45 minutes to get in someplace since the last time I attended a movie on opening day, over 20 years ago.

(later that day)

2 haiku:

Hello Costco. Thanks

for bread, TP, and walnuts and

social distancing.

 

Seeing full shelves of food

soothed my fearful heart. Feel

calmer already.

Mar 25

Wore bandana at

kosher store today. Worth it–

I scored marshmallows!

Mar 26

Youngest resists sleep,

would rather critique big

brothers’ dish-washing.

Mar 26

Power went out–thank

God school sessions were done for

the day already.

Mar 27

Home smells like #Shabbos.

So grateful we’re #SafeAtHome.

Tonight, l’chaim!

Mar 28

Former carpool parent of two of my kids reportedly in bad shape due to Covid-19. He’s about my husband’s age. Very shaken up this Motzaei Shabbos. Otherwise, very refreshed by a cozy Shabbos w/just my family, totally at home.

Mar 29

Not a haiku, but a poem:

Today, the husband of my daughter’s

Pre-1A teacher died.

My daughter is 12 now &

telling her is not urgent.

I haven’t decided to when to tell her or

if I should tell her at all.

She hardly remembers that teacher;

in fact it was a hard year.

But I cried.

Mar 31

I used to hate the smell of ammonia, but the combo of coronavirus and Pesach coming is turning into a scent I adore.

(I also keep thinking about how apparently they used to sell “ammonia cokes” at drugstore counters in Baltimore in the ’50s and ’60s according to my mom.)

Mar 31

Today’s #haiku for #coronavirus: SMALL PLEASURES

Spoke with my sister.

Zoomed with a good friend alone at

home. Walked with husband.

Mar 31

Haiku: Chat w/My 10-year-old During “School”

 

No, your brother is

not stupid because he can’t

attach video.

Mar 31

It is a strange state of events when people’s posts about how they have most of their #Passover cleaning done &/or are already cooking #Pesach food reassure me rather than annoy.

Apr 1

This morning’s #haiku for #coronavirus: MORNING PERSON BLUES

 

Everyone else is

still sleeping, and I want to

work out. Must I wait?

 

AND THE ANSWER IS YES, FOLKS, BECAUSE MY IDEA OF A NICE INDOOR WORKOUT IN MY CURRENT MOOD INVOLVES LISTENING TO ALICE IN CHAINS AT THE SAME TIME.

Apr 1

I woke up this morning contemplating how different this quarantine/social distancing experience would be if it had happened 25 or 30 years ago.

Hardly anyone had cell phones.

Many people were still paying big bucks for long-distance calls.

No Zoom.

No streaming.

No ebooks.

Apr 1

Aaaand I just got a rejection letter on a full request.

Yup. Definitely a “workout to Alice in Chains” morning.

Apr 4

On Shabbos, we prayed

& played boardgames at home &

coped with three tantrums.

Apr 4

My 12-year-old, want-

ing to sit outside and read,

cried when I said, “No.”

Apr 5

As tempting as it is to hang out here in my (finally) quiet home, I must sleep in order to spend all day tomorrow turning over the kitchen.

PESACH IS COMING!!! SUPER EXCITED!!!

Apr 5

Since we aren’t having any guests for yom tov, it will be our first seder in many years without my husband’s extended family. Thus, it’s the first time in many years I won’t have someone who actually left Egypt at our seder table.

Apr 6

Attended my first Zoom bris. Many happy tears shed. Mazal tov to my cousins.

Apr 7

Plenty dessert for

#Pesach. Matzah, grape juice too.

Who needs other food?

Apr 8

EREV PESACH 5780 , L.A.

A #poem for #Passover2020

 

Our apartment smells of meatballs, &

my daughters wear new, matching dresses.

The menfolk sport freshly trimmed hair

with their old suits.

There will be no guests

but plenty of love

&

hopefully

a few giggles.

 

Chag sameach!

Apr 8

My husband and daughter are singing “Echad MiYodeya” in the kitchen as they dry dishes. It’s getting super Pesach-y around here. Just an hour and a half till candlelighting!

Apr 11

A #haiku for #Pesach during #coronavirus-related social distancing.

 

Our seders had no

guests but went longer. No frills

but many thrills. Joy!

 

(Also, Kid #1 & Kid #3 had a full-on machlokes l’shem shamayim on Night #1. Wowza.)

Apr 13

a #haiku for #coronavirus: IRONY

 

Today will be zoo

day. We’ll admire other con-

fined creatures remotely.

Apr 13

The joy my 10 y o expressed

just now

upon finding an overlooked bag of Pesadik Bissli

on the

highest

shelf of the Pesach cabinet

was so genuine

and so pure.

Apr 19

I have turned into a person who checks obituaries daily. I just got furloughed from one of my editing jobs (the  consistent one). I don’t have the privacy or headspace to write under quarantine (we are a family of six in a tiny apartment). I’m not sure I recognize myself anymore.

Apr 21

One of my writing students just got engaged to one of my first grade students from nearly two decades ago, and I am floating on a cloud (when I’m not running through the apartment shrieking from joy)! ❤

Apr 22

Does sleeping through last night’s earthquake make me more Californian, or less? #losangeles

Apr 22

Inspired by my kids yesterday, I wrote a letter to my MIL in Hebrew today. (My Hebrew spelling & conjugation are awful.) In it, I confessed, “I write Hebrew like a little girl.”

 

My daughter, aged 12, upon me telling her of my confession.

 

“Yes. Yes, you do.”

Apr 23

Today’s #haiku for #coronavirus times:

 

My career might be

on hiatus, but at least I

have time for #chessed.

Apr 23

I avoided news all day…and then made the mistake of clicking on something and now my rage is so potent I might not be able to sleep for another hour. Grrr…

Apr 24

2 #haiku for #TweetYourShabbat

1.

Challah baking and

chummus smooth. Potato starch

brownies next. Save flour!

2.

Chickens for roasting

might need to thaw more. Good thing

#Shabbat’s coming “late.”

Apr 24

God works in mysterious ways. We often get ice cream for #roshchodesh. I didn’t plan on snagging any today b/c of quarantine even tho. it’s HOT here in L.A.

My lovely Filipina neighbor just dropped ice cream w/a hechsher at our door. It’s not a big thing, but it’s a BIG thing.

Apr 26

A #haiku for #Sunday:

Laundry sprayed and sort-

ed. Dishes come next. Shabbat

seems so far away.