Contact in Quarantine
Image/Loni Sterling.
By Loni Sterling (Monarch)
I'm tired of my phone
Even as I type this
I'm tired of this piece of metal being the only contact I have
The contents of this contraption are the keys to my connections
But they are not how I connect
I need contact
To feel the warmth of another human being against my skin
Not just the warmth of an overheated battery from my computer
It feels like a crime to want to hold someone's hand
But I'd leave my fingerprints up and down the spines of everyone I love just to be able to touch them again
The world is at my fingertips but a phone cannot mimic the security felt in a hug
Eyes locked on a lock screen
Searching for life in inanimate beings
I want to look into someone's eyes and see that they can see me
I need to be felt
I need to be heard
I need so much more than just emojis and words
But of all people, I should know that words can reach deeper than the skin
They can create feelings unknown to nerve endings
Who would I be if I devalued my 26 letter arsenal?
I need contact
More than just social media commentary
I need conversations
Ones that carry on for hours
They aren't meant to be fit into 280 characters
I need to be reminded of my humanity
To keep my sanity
I need
Contact
After writing my poem I still felt something was missing. I was still feeling empty and alone. I hopped onto Twitter and saw one of my tweets was engaged by a stranger. This is not an uncommon thing but for some reason I thought about how I know nothing about this person yet we share a space on the internet. It made me realize I miss being able to speak to people in public settings and really getting to know them.
So I created this email address, ContactInQuarantine@gmail.com. Anyone can send an email just expressing their feelings around this pandemic as a whole. My hope is that the people who use it feel the same as I do in terms of missing genuine connections and that we can begin to form new connections in a more intimate way.
Loni Sterling aka Monarch is an LGBTQ wordsmith, leader, activist, and community volunteer. He uses his experiences as a Black, transgender man in America to teach local youth how to tell their own stories through poetry. His poetry style flows like water but his consistent hard work and passion has transcended him into a well known, slam winning poet taking Sin City by storm.
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