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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.

Backburner Always reign in those emotions When the folks don’t get it When your pain is painted over When the memories seem like far off dreams Nightmares of violence that you know are real But always conceal because no one wants to know No one wants to know the real truth Of what actually happens After the shots are fired After the beatings are done After the violence walks away After the government reaps rules Regulating rulers reaching rising Up even higher at the expense of the poor I just wish that for once someone can just be there To believe that shadows have feelings too Despite their dark nature Always by your side and yet never given A chance to confide that so many things have Happened I don’t even know what’s real anymore The memory’s dream or the nightmare Containing partial truths of a half twisted lie By societies design I always have to bite my tongue And I bite it hard to be able to not push people away With these raw uncooked emotions How they have not been steamed or fried yet But people wait for those moments when the water Manipulates the environment and substance of you Yourself to really see what you have to say I just want to keep everything at bay Simmering down but alas I always feel that the Flame runs so hot we get burnt too fast Making it our last chance to reach folks instead Of taking time to turn off the burner, lower the heat And breathe in knowing that the heat can’t always be hot We need that time to cool down and accept some cold Until we are ready again But alas here we are all burnt up inside again Wanting to just figure it out and start over Knowing that there’s always so much more of everything; I always have to keep reminding myself to not fan my own Flames firing first, fear fiercely flying for falling aforementioned Is inevitable Sometimes the best thing to do is place it on the back burner For later when the heat dies down And the moisture leaves the air Creating the calm stillness to start a fresh project It’s okay to not be okay And understand how life is hard But you don’t have to be as hard as the Surroundings that mold you.