Time in Seclusion

These words and phrases were strung together whilst sitting cuddled up against the window of my hotel room … in quarantine.

On arrival the grand entrance greets me

Icy tentacles reaching out

Fear of the unknown grips me

No going back 

No retreating into the sanctuary of the past

Only possibility is to move forward 

And fully embrace that which now stands before me

The future, so daunting, offers little comfort

Undetermined and delicate

It engulfs me in its precariousness

No hope gained from that unpredictable source

The rules and regulations made clear

Exhausted we stand as one 

Undeniably lost and despondent

The unknown is no stranger to me

I have feared him many times

I have felt his wrath

His madness

With that, I know the fear will fade and disappear 

I know this for I have walked this path before

Equipped with the tools - I am

With the passing of hours

The fear within me slowly releases its embrace

I feel the gentle acceptance of the next ten days

Of the social distancing taken to extreme levels

Filling my soul

Bringing comfort and a sense of gratitude

For the shelter given me

I close the door on the outside world

Leaving behind the empty corridor lying in waiting

Devoid of the human touch

The room now embraces me

Solitude and silence, my companions

The room fills my needs

I want for nothing

Daily my excitement grows

My new home is filled with warm, loving conversations to family and friends online

My support system

Looking out the windows at the crystal skies of the Cape winter

Truly seeing the green leaves on the trees below

Eagerly waiting for the familiar voice of the man behind the mask

Temperatures to be taken

I create a routine

Serenity and contentment prevail

Punctuated by a knock on the door

Another meal left lovingly on the chair

In a passage devoid of life

I value my own company

And love the woman I am

Time 

That precious but rare luxury that eludes us

Is now mine to hold

Time to reflect on the years past

The road I have travelled

My personal voyage through Life

Time to brush teeth as a ritual not as a rush

Space to think

To gather thoughts

To be me and only me

The privilege of planning the future continues to evade me

I worry not

For I am where I must be for now

I am with self and continue to grow on levels that matter

Forever grateful for this adventure

It served as a bridge

Connecting my two worlds

Providing me the space and time to pass from one to another

Collecting myself

Uplifting and nurturing

My body and soul are rested