Video Call Reveals

(April 2020)

keyboard

With people stuck at home, talking from their box on a screen,
you’d think it would be like a fishtank—
static, cultivated. We’re not fish, though.
You’re invited to homes you never expected to visit.
You watch people sing from their bedrooms, bounce a child 
as they accept an award and deliver a press speech, 
sweep a cat ass off their keyboard. 
Art is crooked on the walls. Hair is uncombed. 
An out-of-reach file reveals owl pajama pants hidden by the frame. 
We are not a portrait gallery. We create our own environment. 
Roommates cook in the background. A teen makes tea, 
the sound of mug and water loud and clear. Dogs bark. 
Life goes on. Work time is full of family and incidentals. 
This is a reminder—we are so much more human than most people get to see.