I put on my jacket

For a walk on the beach

Between thunderstorms.

The zipper is stuck,

So my husband zips it for me

As he has done so many times

In our years together.

He zips up my jacket with ease

(as he almost always does),

And I pause to realize that

It’s not really the zippers that are stuck.

Rather, I am the one

Who can’t unstick the zippers,

Just as I have not been able to unstick these feelings

Of near-constant pandemic worry,

Of wondering what the next loss will be,

Of not knowing how to move forward.

I am stuck

And marvel at the people

Who move their zippers

Up and down with seeming ease

As they put on their jackets

And return to their lives

Between thunderstorms.

~