Static

Callum Hicks, 12

The electric blue buzz of the computer screens.
The soft hum of the machines keeping us alive.

An evil cackle of a monster behind me, casting a shadow on the cold concrete.
Snap.
My legs break in half like breadsticks.

The masks I am wearing.
They let me breathe.
Living history as if it’s some sort of consolation.

The shrill voices.
Crackle.
The pressure.
Ping-ding-ring.
The drone.
Zoomzoomzoomzoomzoomzoomzoomzoomzoom.

The whir of white noise.
Zzz.
Zzz.
Zzz.

Author’s note: The poem plays on both definitions of the word “static.” It’s about the sounds of quarantine during Coronavirus and also the fact that I had to stay in one place. I thought quarantine would be quiet and boring but it has been the polar opposite! I wanted to convey the loudness and chaos of my quarantine experience. With all of the FaceTimes and the Zoom calls and the texts and emails, it’s been overwhelming.