I knew it. I knew you wrote the bee poem. But you played it cool.

It feels very honest. It's not beating around the bush, the frustration is apparent at the beginning. I think phrases like "I wish I could help her but I’m not a vaccine" adds depth as it strays away from the frustration to dwell on a little sorrow and wholesomeness. The last stanza removes the personal from just your frustration to the community, which is a nice touch. I do want to see more bees.

I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that I have a pretty good idea of how you are feeling. As for feedback:

1. There were a couple of lines that I definitely zeroed in on because they had the potential to become whole poems. Particularly, "Back home now, and my girlfriend is sad./ I wish I could help her but I'm not a vaccine." These lines jumped out at me as a way of working with imagery and a chance to play with metaphors--An excellent way to bring in vaccines. I think I really found myself entering this poem auditorily, you are so blunt, your rhetoric is incredibly strong. I felt like I was being told this because it was something that not only conveyed the way you felt, but the way that many many people are feeling right now. Cursing in writing can be overdone, but I think it serves you well here.

2. Wash your hands, I understand, seems to be the center of the poem; however, I think there is another way you could use the repetition of that phrase without it being one single line. Maybe at the end of each stanza? The title, for me, was a little long, I understand it's how you feel and maybe even necessary to understand the context of the poem. However, I would really like to see it shortened or reworked. It's just a suggestion though--I'm not saying get rid of it, just rework it, maybe?

3. As I mentioned earlier, this was very auditory for me, I entered this most by listening to your rhetoric. Especially when I heard you read it; I heard your anger and irritation that only further conveyed your exhaustion with the whole idea of this virus and its effects, and the phrase, "wash your hands." I think there is definitely potential for story as well, though. Maybe even the poem was longer, you would have the room for that.

4. I believe I covered most of my thoughts on your poem. I think, overall, the poem would benefit from delving deeper into the way you're feeling. Instead of, "my girlfriend is sad", maybe add more detail to your feelings and those of others.

Hey Jon,

I loved your poem! I experienced the anxiety you're depicting in this poem while you read. The feeling is strong, despite it being very internal. I felt perhaps you could have utilized more repetition with the 'wash your hands' part to strengthen your music. Perhaps use that line again somewhere else? Although it acts as an interesting divider between sections, so it's up to you. The details about video games really sold this poem for me. To be forced to play Runescape is proof these are trying times. I loved this poem! I'm excited to see more!

Hey, John. Hope you're hanging in there.

1.) I think this poem really lives in the details and little emotional implications. We're all in a position where these little household tasks have become our whole lives, and I think your poem approaches those moments with a humor and frustration that's very truthful. And you get a lot of mileage out of a few short statements, like the bureaucratic frustration of "Until instructed," the idle worry of "if I emptied the fridge enough." I really enjoyed your closing lines. Most of the poem is so bored and aggravated that the sudden swerve into sincere tenderness and concern took me completely by surprise. I'm glad you made that choice, because I think that's what elevates this poem.

2.) I don't know if I would say it doesn't work completely, because I understand the effect you're going for (and achieve), but "WASHYOURHANDS" is a little at odds with the rest of the poem. I felt your frustration, but I think it's at the expense of flow and congruity with the rest of the piece.

3.) Without a doubt, voice and emotion. As I said, that frustration and sincerity, that aggravated address tempered by genuine empathy, is why this poem shines.

4.) Nothing major, but I will say I really enjoyed your reading. Reading isn't a skill that everyone has, and the specific voice and inflection you use really added to my enjoyment and understanding of the poem, so I wanted to congratulate you on that.

Dang you really dunked on runescape my dude. I really appreciate the silliness of this poem!! I think it keeps it out if the realm of melodrama. And then the end is sincere in a nice way. The line about your girlfriend is really sweet, and I would maybe like to see more about her. Maybe get a bit more specific about certain things (what's your moms job? What other activites are you doing to stay busy?) I really like this piece its very much in your voice!

Hey Joao, thank for sharing this poem with us! I feel like this poem was written really well and it encapsulates our current situation that we have right now. As for feedback, you have a great way of making simple sentences carry a lot of meaning. For example, "I wish I could help her but I'm not a vaccine," makes me relate to the helplessness that we feel because we don't know what to do except the common "social distance everybody" or "wash your fucking hands." Overall, you have a great voice in how you feel (boredom, sadness, confusion). I find that if you ever were to make this poem longer it would help it because I do feel like there is more to say.