We used to swim together

In pools deep and cold,

so clear you could see the bottom.

Each had their own stroke-

some swam deep

others floated

while some thrashed about.

We buzzed, a chorus

each singing their own song,

happy as bees

 in a field of buttercups.

It’s different now.

The buzz is more like

the zap of taxed electric lines.

We stay six feet apart.

The water is still deep

but murky.

Few want to go in.

Perhaps they think the murk

will give them the latest plague.

Maybe they can’t remember

which stroke is prescribed

(it changes frequently).

Notice I didn’t mention

the water temperature.

My answer would be

considered hate speech-

I would do 5-10 for that.

Friends fall from me

like my old dog’s hair

at the change of seasons.

My hair falls, too.

Hair restorer will not

help either situation.

My friends are woke

but not awake.

I stay awake

waiting for them to notice

it’s gotten colder.