I had stepped out in a panic after the announcement of a nationwide lockdown to buy butter, eggs, bread, vegetables and dustbin liners. A friend, far away from all his family and loved ones, told me he felt fortunate to just be alive. I tried to read poems, reaching for old favourites – Ellen Bass, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Ada Limon, Sharon Olds, Imtiaz Dharker. I scrolled through them baffled and slightly envious of the books and long-form essays they all said they’d been reading. I had been in this position before – on the outside, looking into the reading world (by all accounts, my world).

Source: Huffington Post May 30, 2020 04:52 UTC