In the days of the coronavirus,
we may be self-isolated or
we may be quarantined, but
one thing we’re encouraged
to do is walk.
Walk in the neighborhood.
Walk in the park (even if
facilities are closed).
Walk in the vacated downtown
streets so empty, streets framed
by silent concrete canyons.
Walk in the forest, if one
is close by; even a woodland
trail will suffice.
But in these days of the coronavirus,
a process has quickly put itself
in place, a process we might call
the Etiquette of the Walk.
If you walk faster than
the walker ahead, you pass
on the left or the right
by a good six feet.
If you encounter
a walker coming
toward you, follow
the etiquette of the walk.
If the walker is
older than you,
you yield and
swerve left
or right by your
6 or 8 feet.
If the walker is
a mother or father
with children or
a baby carriage,
you yield. Always.
No exceptions.
Dog walkers yield
to all others;
no exceptions.
Dog walkers
encountering
dog walkers
yield to each
other; both
swerve, no matter
how badly the dogs
seek acquaintance.
Singles encountering
couples always yield,
unless the single
is older.
If you cannot swerve
by your 6 or 8 feet,
you swerve by as much
space as possible.
In all cases,
you smile and
say hello.
You will know
the apocalypse
has arrived
when cyclists
yield to walkers
in crosswalks.
It happened
to me yesterday,
and I expected
the sky to split
open and
the four horsemen
to appear.
They didn’t, but
you know what
I mean, in these days
of the coronavirus.
Photograph by Iwoji Iwata via Unsplash. Used with permission.
