“How are you doing?” *
“It has been a challenging few weeks.” *
“The coronavirus nightmare is the ordeal of all of our lives.” **
~
As some struggle adjusting to work or school at home,
Others stress about family and friends fighting on the frontlines.
Many eagerly await stimulus checks, their only source of income.
~
“As the world navigates challenge and change,” ***
“Our resiliency and willingness to adapt are more apparent than ever.” ****
~
As humans have done for centuries,
We face the challenge head on,
Learning and growing along the way.
~
“Our worlds may have been turned upside down,” *
But “hang in there,” *****
For “we will persevere through this challenging time.” ****
~
Separated for now,
We will rise as one.
~
-Renea Briner
This poem was partially inspired by found poems, so I used lines from emails I have received recently (denoted with asterisks), mixed with my own writing. Here are the emails which have been quoted in my poem, listed in the order they appear:
*Carcamo, Jade. “Re: Checking in on you.” Message to Renea Briner. 24 March 2020. E-mail.
**Chatellier, Dana. “Re: All Right! Good Morning!” Message to Renea Briner. 30 March 2020. E-mail.
***Assanis, Dennis & Robin Morgan “Re: Emergency academic policies now in place for this semester.” Message to Renea Briner. 26 March 2020. E-mail.
****Assanis, Dennis “Re: UD COVID-19 Update: Remote-work period extended.” Message to Renea Briner. 24 March 2020. E-mail.
*****Dobe-Hund, Sarah. “Re: UDHP Update: First week wishes.” Message to Renea Briner. 30 March 2020. E-mail.
English 110 Honors Spring 2020 
I really liked the style of the poem- the insertion of common lines we’ve all heard the past few weeks with your own messages behind them inspires people to stay positive, no matter how hard it can be at times. On top of that, I feel that the title is extremely relatable- I could not tell you how many emails I get a day from both UD and my professors that contain at least one of these lines. Additionally, it seems that they’re projected on the news 24/7. Great work!
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Renea,
I think that your approach to this assignment is so creative ! It is so awesome how you were able to insert lines from emails so effortlessly. I especially like this line because it flows and tells the readers a message.
“Our worlds may have been turned upside down,” *
But “hang in there,” *****
For “we will persevere through this challenging time.” ****
Lastly, I love the hopefulness and positivity that your piece ends with. You’re right, “we will rise as one” and hopefully be stronger and wiser than before.
–Caroline SanAngelo
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This is something that I never would have thought to do, and that is one of the reasons that I love reading everyone’s blog posts! Your use of lines from the constant e-mails we have all received coupled with your own was such a creative and unique wat to approach the assignment, and I really enjoyed reading your poem. My favorite lines are:
“Separated for now,
We will rise as one.”
because that is something I think everyone needs to remember, and the sooner we all separate, the sooner we can all be together again. Great job!
-Sydney Rubin
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