Quarantine Orchestra
by Natasha Moore
America felt like a distant home across an ocean;
Above her were dynamic drum beats,
And outside, flowing in from the swaying curtain
Was a folksy voice singing over the strumming guitar.
Whirring car tires drove by
And roaring motorcycles sped by.
The ambience was spirited and alive,
And she felt present in that fleeting time
When America slowed down.
Then as if by whimsy,
A swift change into a warbling harmonica
Sang America’s song.
Born in Kenya, Natasha Moore immigrated to the United States when she was 12. She has a BA in Literature from Ave Maria University in Florida. “I wrote ‘Quarantine Orchestra’ in mid-April when there were stricter Covid restrictions. I had been tested and my results were negative but I was sick for three entire weeks and was just starting to recover. I was sitting in my living room and contemplating the peace and serenity I felt at that moment. I wanted to capture that in a poem.” Natasha lives in Lowell, MA, and is working on her first manuscript.