And What Have I Learned (Burgundy)

1. When the world closes,

the status quo bends.

2. When the streets grow barren,

most pick up their cross and guard

what they call home.

3. When the relatives come to roost,

the home's air may cause bones to chill

or hearts to warm.

4. When the commute must vanish,

mental work reappears.

Seems these were the tasks

you never had time to do.

5. When people can hear only their thoughts,

sometimes madness grows.

Turns into the worst decisions.

6. When you can only look at mirrors,

you realize you've spent your life

searching for your reflection

in other's faces.

7. When you understand you may carry

a loved one's death on your breath,

their life gleams in your eye as preciously

as it normally should.

Now that I have learned,

what may I teach

when the world opens?

Bail Burgundy is a Detroit girl in an unusual world. After struggling with tests of spiritual faith and urban survival as a teen, she learned to weaponize her sorrows through poetry. She aims to empower her readers with the strength to find value and importance in all emotions. bailburgundy.com.