In this Pandemic
by
Sarah Sassoon
Nazar Hrabovyi
In this Pandemic
I pocket
a spare mask
sanity pills
sad smiles of old friends
news headlines
sanitizer 70%
alcohol
freshly picked sage
for smudging
a single fallen olive leaf
from my grandmother’s tombstone
a lemon from my garden
to remind me
my ancestors survived
the only problem is when I sit down
it’s too hard
too full
too much
it splits the seams
of my smile
Published:
January 16, 2023
Sarah Sassoon is an Australian born writer and poet of Iraqi-Jewish descent. Her work has appeared in the Michigan Quarterly Review, Ruminate, Lilith, The Ilanot Review, Consequence Forum and elsewhere. She is the recipient of the Andrea Moriah Poetry Prize, and shortlisted for the Anna Davidson Rosenberg Poetry Award. Her micro-chapbook, ‘This is Why We Don’t Look Back’ was recently awarded first place in Harbor Review’s Jewish Women's poetry prize. Sarah is also the author of the children’s picture book, “Shoham’s Bangle” (Kar-Ben Publishing, Fall 2022).