Sequestered with You

by Bob McNeil

It matters less

now that dark curtains

veil our view.

In isolation

days, elliptical as haiku

end quickly,

yet our nights

scroll out to an epic length.

The season dons dour hues

that contrast

with the carnival-celebratory shades

dancing to our upbeat bond. 

Long before the seasonal coldness,

the world became frigid from fear. 

Under the covers,

our oasis,

we kiss

and disregard every part

of the outside.    

Bob McNeil, writer, editor, cartoonist, and spoken word artist, is the author of Verses of Realness. Hal Sirowitz, a Queens Poet Laureate, called the book “A fantastic trip through the mind of a poet who doesn’t flinch at the truth.” Among Bob’s recent accomplishments, he found working on Lyrics of Mature Hearts to be a humbling experience because of the anthology’s talented contributors. Copies of that collection are available here. Arabella Luna Friedland is a visual artist and writer based in New York City. She’s influenced by a childhood with cartoons, a classical education in anatomy and life drawing, and a firm belief that all art — is a portrait.