A Pandemic Year

 Shared with gratitude to MaineHealth and the staff of Franklin Memorial Hospital, along with the many others who contributed to the opportunity to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

A Pandemic Year
Through the Heart of a Teacher

Friday, March 13, 2020.
After a tense week
trying to appease the fears
of fourth grade minds and hearts,
she walks out the door
of her beloved classroom.
Little does she know
that she will never go back
to teaching as she had known it
for 30 years.
There begins a time
of losses and gains,
 unease and sureness,
confusion and certainty,
and everything in between –
sometimes all at once.

Saturday, March 13, 2021.
After a tense few days
 appeasing the fears
of her own mind and heart,
she walks into a door opened
by science and leadership.
Emotions stirring,
she is met by volunteers
smiling behind masks,
gentle support in their eyes.
Joining a smooth flow
of veteran educators
she is ushered into a large room
staffed by compassionate medical workers.
An explanation,
a pause for questions,
a quick jab
that she hardly feels,
a time to sit and make
sure her body accepts
the vaccine.
Taking a relieved and grateful breath,
she walks out another door,
hope and appreciation
filling her heart.

Sarah Carlson
March 14, 2021