I will wear a bright blue dress
To the isolation grocery tomorrow
And tights with hearts all over them.
My neighbor will cup her hands to call
A safe six feet across the carrots,
“I love your tights!” I’ll say,
“I like your hat,” and grin,
And for this moment we won’t guess
Who could die because they came here today
Who might have lived ten more years, thirty,
If they’d had flour and eggs left at home.
For this moment, I’ll step aside,
Let the next one out of the soup aisle
Before I go in, wash my hands,
Wear my strained smile in the distance
And my cheerful blue banner
That I am still me.