People from across the nation
met in my bedroom today.
They met in kitchens,
basements, living rooms,
and anywhere else with a plain background
and reliable Wi-Fi.

Dressed up for performances 
to blank screens
and empty rooms. 
Words were shared 
over cheap computer speakers
with no less passion than they would be
in a room of thousands.

Beneath the cameras,
we perform in slippers
or have pets winding around our feet.
From the other room
comes the sound of the outside world,
breaking into our sacred one.

Nine squares on a screen,
each housing an individual
with a story to tell.
There are no large crowds,
no eyes to meet,
no hands to shake.

But there are voices,
and despite it all
they are still being heard
by invisible audiences
that are still listening.

Here’s to this year
and to the next,
when we can put the voices
to faces once more.