It came to my mind, when I thought about yesterday’s party,

What fun it was, to hang out with friends and family,

Who lived afar, but had come to meet us.

As the day went on, they decided to stay over some more.

The music that made my heart beat faster, the feet that tapped the floor,

All of a sudden, were brought to a close.

What had happened? I asked myself, and my tiny brain had no answer.

Did the rules change? Did the police arrive? Was there an emergency?

Were the neighbors objecting to the music?

The answer was a ‘NO’ to all my questions.

They said my uncle was sent to a nearby hospital;

They said that he was tested positive.

Positive? You take someone who is positive to a hospital?

As usual, I was confused, as I was but a youngster.

Seeing my curiosity, my mother said to me,

“An enemy is on the loose. We can’t go out anymore,

No, not even for a moment.”

At first, I was perplexed, but then,

As things grew worse, our patience reached its limits.

“I want to go play, Mother.” But she shook her head negatively.

“Can I go to Leon’s house to study?” She gave the same, negative response.

A lump began to grow in my throat, as I couldn’t go out to play or meet anyone,

No more parties, no more school, no more playing and no visitations.

This was too heavy for me to bear,

So I went to my mother and sobbed, “I REALLY MISS THE GOOD OLD DAYS!!”