"Lockdown"

On the day of the lockdown order
In between rainstorms
I took my children outside

We played capture the flag
With a stuffed otter and a frisbee

Briefly forgetting
Schoolwork
Worst-case scenarios
That this could be months
The dizzying and rapid influx of information
The scouring of news and social media for answers

To enjoy
Chasing and being chased
That they are almost too fast for me now
The joyful messages they wrote in chalk on neighbors' driveways
Hiding under a car
Pretending I don't see them
Celebrating too early and getting caught like my dad always did to me
Clean air
A deserted street
The first day of Spring