Wonderful work, Anne. Nice form and line lengths. I have known those that feel their work more valid than the "work" you speak of here. Words are work. They are heavy, sorrowful, longing, beautiful, and a million other things all at once. It is not an easy task to place them in an understandable, outwardly accessible form. It is work.
Just as life during the pandemic was color-coded with different hues representing different levels of danger, life in its aftermath has become shaded in similar ways. As a self-styled “Seeker of Beauty with Beauty,” (borrowing from a quote by W.E.B.
In a post-coup America, an Illinois farm boy is drawn into the resistance by his brother's death. Captured, he is given a choice: betray his friends, or the girl he loves will be lobotomized.
So sad they did not understand. Good read.
Be well,
Michael