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"What," the Moderator asks, "If You'd Known Beforehand There'd be Quarantine, Would You Have Done Differently?"

"What," the Moderator asks, "If You'd Known Beforehand There'd be Quarantine, Would You Have Done Differently?"

by Leslie Saunders

Zoom Meeting: Covid 19 May 2020

Oh, a few things:
kept up-to-date that
half-hearted list
of buried baking
in the freezer chest,
brought my music
home from band
taken in a lover, skilled
in plumbing, computers, carpentry,
deft at the dark arts
and common, household, psychiatry

About this Poem

"What, the moderator asks…." is just a straight up poem, inspired by the question.

Leslie Saunders has a mailing address in Kingston, but lives largely in her imagination.

Check out her earlier poem on the Blackboard, from November 2015, "Prayer for a Walnut Dipped in Honey".

About the Poetry Blackboard

The Poetry Blackboard showcases poems curated by Kingston's Poet Laureate and written by Kingston poets. There's a new poem every month, written by poets living and dead, historical and contemporary, published and unpublished, adults and children, giving full range to the cultural voice of Kingston. Started in 2015 by Helen Humphreys, the Poetry Blackboard has been continued since 2019 by Jason Heroux.

We wish to thank Helen Humphreys, Kingston's second Poet Laureate, for her generous support of emerging and established poets in Kingston through library programming and our Poetry Blackboard project. Throughout her four years as Poet Laureate, Helen curated a digital collection of poetry to showcase the talents of local creators of all ages, both historic and contemporary. Helen also offered several opportunities for emerging poets to develop their craft, offering group workshops and one-on-one mentorship. Her active engagement with the library and community has been greatly appreciated.

In 2019 we welcomed the incoming Poet Laureate, Jason Heroux, who continues to curate the Poetry Blackboard and to develop new community programming.

Previously Published Poems