a visit of a different kind

Yesterday we stopped outside 
Great Grandma's 
upstairs corner apartment 
and we yelled to her,
as she shifted her weight and elbows 
leaning on her balcony. 
She waved, her quiet wobbly voice 
falling gently down upon us, 
Nathan shaped his own voice like a trumpet 
so his notes of hellos and 
we love yous
would make it to her ears that don't work 
as well 
as they used to. 
Ari reached his little hands to her 
several stories high, 
his little harpsichord voice 
chattering to her..
We didn't get to see her up close. 
We didn't get to touch her 
or smell her sweet Grandma smell, 
and that was hard for all of us, 
so hard, 
but we did get to see her. 
We did get to cherish what 
small interaction, 
what small connection, 
we could have 
in such a time like this. 
So we do not take even this,
voices flying from one floor to another, 
eventually finding their mark,
from Great Grandma well
without of our reach, 
to us,
far below, 
we made contact 
and we consider that a success. 

-covid19 series