People rush in with carts
grabbing what they can off the shelf
Noises of wheels and shuffling feet echo
News reporters constantly give updates
The bars for those that are sick go higher and higher
The ones I care about go silent as they are forced to isolate
I can’t hear their laughter right now
I can’t hear their voices right now
I can’t feel happiness from their presence right now
People rush in with carts
grabbing what they can off the shelf
Noises of the wheels and shuffling feet echo
is all I ever hear now…
because I have no other choice, but to be here in the panic
I want to see and feel the presence of those I care for
Every day there is silence in the panic
The silence is filled with uncertainty
Uncertainty of when I’ll be able to go back to school
Uncertainty for the families that are struggling
Wondering if they are gonna make it
Uncertainty if the day where homeless people see a roof over their heads
Will ever come…
I want the world’s heart rate to slow down
to a slow and steady beat
I want the world to gain control again
I want the silence to be filled with comfort, not panic
The sound of carts and shuffling feet fade into the background
Author Bio:
Olivia Giorgio is a 19-year old college freshman at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is majoring in art therapy. Besides writing, she is interested in music and art. She is a gifted violinist, guitarist, and plays the ukulele for fun. Olivia is autistic, but hasn't let that stop her - instead, she uses her autistic sensitivity in her work in the arts. Her parents, Michael and Kathie Giorgio, are both writers as well.
Olivia wrote this poem in response to being an "essential worker" - a cashier in a retail store, and to having to come home from college because of COVID-19. Her school is teaching online for now. Olivia looks forward to going back.
grabbing what they can off the shelf
Noises of wheels and shuffling feet echo
News reporters constantly give updates
The bars for those that are sick go higher and higher
The ones I care about go silent as they are forced to isolate
I can’t hear their laughter right now
I can’t hear their voices right now
I can’t feel happiness from their presence right now
People rush in with carts
grabbing what they can off the shelf
Noises of the wheels and shuffling feet echo
is all I ever hear now…
because I have no other choice, but to be here in the panic
I want to see and feel the presence of those I care for
Every day there is silence in the panic
The silence is filled with uncertainty
Uncertainty of when I’ll be able to go back to school
Uncertainty for the families that are struggling
Wondering if they are gonna make it
Uncertainty if the day where homeless people see a roof over their heads
Will ever come…
I want the world’s heart rate to slow down
to a slow and steady beat
I want the world to gain control again
I want the silence to be filled with comfort, not panic
The sound of carts and shuffling feet fade into the background
Author Bio:
Olivia Giorgio is a 19-year old college freshman at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is majoring in art therapy. Besides writing, she is interested in music and art. She is a gifted violinist, guitarist, and plays the ukulele for fun. Olivia is autistic, but hasn't let that stop her - instead, she uses her autistic sensitivity in her work in the arts. Her parents, Michael and Kathie Giorgio, are both writers as well.
Olivia wrote this poem in response to being an "essential worker" - a cashier in a retail store, and to having to come home from college because of COVID-19. Her school is teaching online for now. Olivia looks forward to going back.
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