Children and Youth

The warm fabric of unity

Expressing kindness, especially during the harshest times, is not only the right thing to do, but also is what everyone needs to receive to powerfully combat the overwhelming emotions.

Instability’s greatest comfort

As I recalled taking my healthy throat for granted. A glass of water, half empty, stared back at me, just out of reach, and longingly I looked at it.

Lockdown charge

Later that day, me and my sibling went to the park because no one had told us about the pandemic.

Hiding away

No toilet paper, no hand sanitizer. No face masks to protect us from this sickness. So, we hide in our homes.

The pandemic didn’t pit young versus old – people did

During those walks, the criminal was not my recklessness, and the victim was not her fragility. We were, then, accomplices.

Remain hopeful, no matter what

I noticed it two weeks before spring break. Our numbers in the classroom were dwindling and it felt like every day somebody else would be reported as absent.

An abnormal normal

Delta. Comirnaty. Tridemic. Bivalent. Masking. These were just some of the words featured in my daily word search throughout the day.

There’s always more than one side to a story

COVID-19? A pandemic, yet also a mystery.

Moving forward

When the pandemic started, I was halfway through Grade 9. My friends and I had just started working out at the local gym.

My Salvation

Where is Salvation?

It was the year 2020…

I lost two years of my youth when the pandemic began; something that started as a nice break from school quickly ended in loss of memories.

Amateur time-travelling

I’m sure we all have intrusive thoughts, what the French call “l'appel du vide,” and at the top of the route, all I could think about was unclipping myself.

Waking memories

Everything is different, the bed, the walls, the layout and smell of the house, but so familiar at the same time? I miss that.

Isolation

I learned the meaning of the word “quarantine” today, and a new meaning to the word “isolation.”

A good way to heal

The hardest part was feeling like there was nothing you could do to help.

Making the most of each day

I felt as if the breather that the pandemic and isolation gave me was not a break, but a limitation on the person I knew I could become.

Bonfire

My hands just callous instead of scarring, so it’s alright. I can still make coffee, clean the counter and smile politely when I get screamed at.

Evolving with COVID

I feel I have overcome and survived the wrath of COVID although the reality is, it’s not temporary, it’s indefinite.

Nothing

When will it end? When can I feel whole? Do I only continue to chase these standards? But what if I falter? I fall below?

Missed opportunity

Being allowed to play again felt like such luxury. We were finally returning to some normalcy.