"The Duality of Connection"
Submitted by Luke Foster
May 31, 2020
I speak to friends and family daily. I only live with pets.
I’ve seen inside many homes through the Internet. I spend twenty-three hours a day in my own.
I’ve worked every day. I haven’t gone to the office since March.
I have social activities every weekend. I haven’t had physical contact with another human in more than two months.
I’ve been on six online dates. I haven’t been kissed since November.
I have weekly movie nights on my schedule. I haven’t been in a theater since February.
I’ve checked out eight library books. I haven’t been in a library since the spring.
I nod to people as I walk. I can barely remember my last time at the gym.
I love being with people. I’m afraid they’ll make me sick.
I have never been more connected.
I have never been more alone.
Luke Foster is a writer from Charlotte, NC. He has written everything from comedy to horror, and his work has appeared online and in print in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. Prior to turning to prose, he wrote and drew independent comics for 11 years. His comics work included the comedies “Doctor Bananas: Monkey Magician” and “Spookytown,” and the nonfiction “Drawn Away: A Cartoonist Tours America.” He can be found on Twitter and Instagram, and on his web page, www.ImLukeFoster.com.