The New Normal

What was so new 

For you

In our "normal way".

Why the "new normal" hits so different when your generation say

it with a smile, like you all won a battle to stay alive till today.

You see, son

Back then, we weren't having masks on our face

Or in our bags on normal days.

There were no gloves, covering the layers of sanitizers on our hands in order to be safe

Coz back then we weren't bothered by a fight with a virus face-to-face.

Carrying sanitizers, masks and gloves

Is a ritual of today,

But what we loved

Were our normal days,

When festivals were not felt without a crowd 

When Kumbh was known to be the largest gathering

And visarjan was the saddest ending

Of a period of some happy days

Just to welcome them again

The next year and relive the same phase.

But the year-to-year routine ended,

Things were amended,

Social distancing was recommended,

We all comprehended,

That to stay alive we have to go through this.

Sometimes, it takes efforts and time to get things fixed.

And, we headed

In a direction, to end the suffering

But what was not expected

That it would be so long-lasting,

That we would get used to the festivals not involving gatherings,

Visarjans in no more practice 

Only to avoid the crowd

Is what we did in fear of a virus, but to end water pollution we never vowed.

Fireworks on Diwali reduced

Coz people started celebrating in solitude,

With just a few members around

Resulting in air-quality to improve

Because of the toxic gases which lowered down.

Celebrating festivals in this new normal way

Was not acceptable in the initial days.

But we started getting used to it year by year,

The virus faded away but not the fear.

So, you see dear,

We started living differently,

Named it "new normal" subsequently,

Things got better eventually,

Reached this stage ultimately,

Where our new way of living became normal for you to such an extent,

That you don't realize, what we went through back then.