I don’t always like the quiet. We now know What freedom is, because It has been stolen from us. Covid-19, a silent warrior came in Attacking us invisibly Through hugs and Intimacy Our most humane instincts. It reminds me that I’m alone With my cats and a storm coming Compounding the silence Broken by the occasional whirring A passing car or truck. TV not working – again More silence, just marathons Of movies dusted off from storage Seen many times before To mitigate the silence. I like living alone - with options To leave. To visit. To have Friends and family over For shared meals and catch-up. Options have disappeared. Masked people are everywhere Another intrusion to human Contact – the world as we know it Today. Negating the peace I found Previously in quiet seclusion –  The emptiness of streets Stressing the enforced solitude. The aura of estrangement. I don’t always like the quiet, But when birdsong intrudes In early mornings  And late afternoons Rippling the silent isolation It reminds me we are not truly Alone. Only our minds feel lonely, Maybe the heart. Somehow, Freedom returns with the songs.