Please don’t tell us

We’ll never go back to normal.

Because normal is a beautiful thing.

And it’s a necessary thing.

 

We need the normal

Of laughing in a group of friends.

We need the normal

Of sharing a meal on a summer’s night.

 

We need the normal

Of a hug upon greeting someone.

We need the normal

Of bustling airports, restaurants, and coffee shops.

 

We need the normal

Of the bell ringing,

Children screaming at recess,

And teachers reading aloud their favorite books.

 

We need the normal

Of voices blending together in choir,

Crying out with passion onstage,

And cheering in a stadium.

 

We need the normal

Of not being afraid of germs.

We need the normal

Of not caring how much space is between us.

 

And I’m pretty sure

We will get back to normal –

Because humans crave it

And will create it –

Even unintentionally.

 

We are hard-wired

For rhythms and routine,

For touch and tradition,

For connection and creation.

 

And we will find our way

Back to normal,

No matter what naysayers warn

Or how the critics rage –

 

Because normal is a beautiful thing

That gives music to our lives,

Meaning to our days,

And magic to our moments.

 

And after its absence

These many long days,

When normal returns – however small –

We’ll never think it boring again.

 

Photo by Mikhail Lapin on Unsplash.