Tonya Y. Chadi
Lately
Lately,
strangers send me candy,
or coffee, or lunch.
They honk their horns and clap their hands
then flip me a thank you for your service,
as they drive by.
It was the same.
After the Navy the Air Force
and when the Gulf War became a Syndrome.
I cringe as they smile and salute.
And I wonder, how will I
pay my mortgage, pay for school, pay for life.
After all, what does essential mean
when already the sidewalk
hearts and flowers
are melting into the gutter.
And my PPE is rationed while strangers
rush back to a normal
that died in January.
—Submitted on 05/15/2020
Tonya Y. Chadi writes: I am a critical care nurse who served in the US Navy during the Gulf War era. As a veteran first responder, the current conversation is personally relevant, and I would like to join the discussion.
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