Well. What a strange and stressful time we are living through. It feels like the coronavirus changed everything in a nanosecond. 

Today is International Haiku Poetry Day, so here is one small window on these crazy times, sprinkled with haiku.

My son Gabriel is in his freshman year at  Whitman College in Eastern Washington. At the beginning of March, as a Covid-19 cluster emerged at a nursing home near Seattle, I tried for lighthearted concern. I texted, “Thinking of you and hoping you are safe from the coronacooties.” He jokingly replied, “I only drink Coors so I think I’m safe.”

pandemic
the elbow bump
going viral

But a week later, as we learned how rapidly the coronavirus was spreading, the mood was much darker. My husband and I decided we had to pick up Gabriel and a friend, possibly for the rest of the school year.

So starting on Friday the 13th, in the midst of increasingly dire pandemic news, we set out for Walla Walla, Washington. It was a 25-hour round trip drive—during a late-season snowstorm. We took empty back roads to avoid others and washed our hands madly all the way. 

the fear highly contagious virus

When we finally got to campus, we spent barely two hours there before turning around and heading south again. The boys’ dorm room belongings were packed to the roof and they had to jettison a couple of items.

I kept flashing on the scene in the final “Lord of the Rings” film after the ring has fallen into the river of lava at Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam run to safety as the bridge crumbles behind them and flaming rocks fall all around them. It wasn’t quite the spring break road trip we had planned!

Four days after our return, the state of California issued shelter-in-place orders. By then, both our kids’ colleges had switched to online classes. Like so many of you, we’ve been holed up together for a month since then, with probably weeks to go.

quarantine
we watch the bonsai
growing

As I write, the number of confirmed cases has passed two million globally, with more than 145,000 deaths. And the contagion has yet to really reach the developing world. The mind reels.

virus news
my chest
tightens

As lots of us are finding, fear and anxiety make it hard to accomplish much. My attention span is shorter than usual and I feel little motivation to create.

writer’s block
the saw-whet owl’s
one-note tune

I remind myself to take it one day at a time and to count my blessings. My family is healthy, which is huge. We are comfortable and well-supplied. We can still visit our local beaches, forests and riverside trails. 

flowering plum
a fisherman
knee-deep in spring

I find great solace in daily nature hikes, which put our human problems in perspective and help me weather these difficult times. I’d love to hear what is getting you through your days. Stay well and take care.

breeze through the oaks
some things still right
with the world 

“flowering plum” published in Acorn, Issue 44, Spring 2020

“writer’s block” published in Modern Haiku, Issue 51.1, Winter-Spring 2020

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Makino Studios News

Makino Studios gift certificates: I am now offering digital gift certificates for anything on the Makino Studios site for amounts starting at $25. This makes a great present for Mother’s Day (May 10), graduation or birthdays.

Connect with a card: In response to the Covid-19 crisis, I am offering a free #stayhome service in which I write your messages on the Makino Studios cards of your choice and mail them straight to your recipients. You order the cards online and email me the info, and I take care of the rest. It’s a real pleasure to help people stay connected with their loved ones in this way. Offer runs thru April 30. 

Mother’s Day and graduation: I have several cards suitable for Mother’s Day and graduation. You can search by occasion in the “Browse by” tab on my shop page.

Haiku reading postponed: The reading and presentation of my haiku art scheduled for April 30 in Ukiah is indefinitely postponed, for obvious reasons. I will let you know when we have a new date.