Monica Joy Fara
Ode to the N95 Mask
O filter O sanitizer O separator of sick and healthy O shield that saves us from each other O sacred regalia O white veil O coy fan O curtain that hides the shape of our fear O separator of sick and sick O artifact O uniform O black market weapon O hoarded gold O amulet of protection O fetish O gag O hand that silences us O ear that listens to our prayer our song our whispered confessions O ally in this fight against our exponential enemy O flattener of functions O negative space O sensory deprivation O outer limit O border O floodgate O barricade O rebel cause O white flag O white shroud O new normal O blank unblinking face of uncertainty O distancer O mandate O hope O swaddling cloth O sterile cocoon O silk O cradle of metamorphosis
—Submitted on 04/19/2020
Poems by Monica Joy Fara have appeared or are forthcoming in The Tampa Review, The Cimarron Review, The Mid-American Review, Painted Bride Quarterly, Room Magazine, and other journals. She holds a BA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Tweets @MonicaJoyFara.
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