silent spring arrives
in winter wind

a virus
microns wide — flees

dying ecosystems, hitches
rides on human breath, thrives

inside the space

within a touch

masks impede its grasp, steal
the curve of lips, dull

the timbre of a voice
— glass screens receive

fingertips’ caress, replace
the warmth of skin

a virus
microns wide — re-contours life, rips

the veil — between
common wealth and self

Yvonne G. Patterson

 

Yvonne G. Patterson lives in Perth, Western Australia, is originally from New Zealand and is enjoying poetry after a career in human services policy and clinical psychology. She received a commendation in the 2018 National Tom Collins Poetry Prize and has poems published in anthologies and journals.

© 2021