But It Is Better To Begetting Back Poem by Shalom Freedman

Is it too soon?
Is it freeing up too much too soon?
Will there be in a week or two
A sudden flood of new cases?
The masks are coming off
People are still cautious
But a bit less in approaching others
The grandchildren can be seen
But not be hugged
But in the privacy of one's own forgetfulness
Risks will be taken
The schools are open in smaller classrooms
And with new teachers often
How long can small children play
Without jostling one another?
There is new light new day
The markets will open again
But some stalls will never return
Restaurants will sell food
But only if less than half- filled
A new normal will emerge for a time
Relief is given for now
It is not enough
But it is better to be getting back
Than to seeing and fearing great new sickness every day
It is not over
Until it is over
Yet there are signs
Grandchildren can come and be played with outside
The streets are more alive
I see parents taking small children to school in the morning