Fairly Well

A 94-year-old woman wrote this poem about her time isolated in room 139 of her assisted living facility during the early stages of the pandemic. With vaccine distribution finally taking place, it seems like a good day to look back at the experience of one of our most vulnerable.

1-3-9: A Pandemic Poem

I am inmate 1-3-9
Alone in a lonely cell.
Although it’s quite confining,
I’m faring fairly well.

My books are my companions.
My TV a faithful friend.
My bed a cozy refuge
When the daylight ends.

Many days have come and gone
Since I landed in this jail.
And though it’s inconvenient,
I’m faring fairly well.

Betty Isaac Smith, age 94