Joy in the Time of Corona Virus
"Aimless Love" (Excerpt) by Billy Collins This morning as I walked along the lakeshore I fell in love with a wren . . . . . . . I found myself standing at the bathroom sink gazing down affectionately at the soap, so patient, so soluble, so at home in its pale green soap dish. I could feel myself falling again as I felt its turning in my wet hands and caught the scent of lavender and stone. "Aimless Love" is the title poem of a Billy Collins anthology published in 2014. It reminds me of why he is the favorite of so many readers. He turns ordinary moments into celebrations, the mundane into the magical. How much we need now that magic as we careen around the same four walls for weeks on end! How much we need the magic of the soap "so patient, so soluble." Will we ever view soap "affectionately" again? What about disinfecting wipes and protective masks? Can we celebrate them now? Will we remembe...