Vistas & Byways Review - Fall 2020
  • Contents
    • In This Issue
    • Fiction
    • Nonfiction
    • Poetry
    • Bay Area Neighborhoods
    • Inside OLLI
  • About Us
  • Contributors
  • Submissions
  • Archive
    • Spring 2020
    • FALL 2019
    • SPRING 2019
    • Fall 2018
    • SPRING 2018
    • FALL 2017
    • FALL 2016
    • SPRING 2016
    • FALL 2015

POETRY  - 
​  with a focus on the Pandemic

Target Selected - Execution Pending       -       Weebly.com                      

Military Maneuvers
​0200 hours, April 26, 2020

​by Kathryn Santana Goldman


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Waiting for the Charge - Charlene Anderson
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​In line by 0730, equipped for the charge.
Whole Foods opens its doors at 0800
assault begins.
 
Homemade mask affixed to my face,
hand sanitizer at the ready,
paper grocery list with pen.
 
This once pleasant, leisurely experience
requires execution with
military precision.
 
Searching my kitchen shelves,
a comprehensive inventory of my armory.
I know what is needed for survival.
 
Topography of the battlefield is familiar--
paper goods on my left flank,
center aisles for produce, dairy and fish in the rear.
 
Bright orange floor strips
mark the DMZ of 6 feet,
arrows point out the hazards.
 
Psychology is required for success.
Stay alert for
unexpected roadblocks.
 
Faced with empty shelves
in the “One Per Customer” aisle
suppress defeat and carry on.
 
Resist the urge to hiss “keep moving”
at the person hovering too long over
a can of beans, tomato sauce, eggs.
 
I use my cart to block unauthorized entry
into the checkout line,
smiling with my eyes at the offending party.
 
Upon exiting, I thank the door sentries,
cashiers, baggers, and stockers
for keeping these hunger games in check.
 
Home by 0830 to rendezvous with my husband,
delivering the provisions for another two weeks.
Mission accomplished.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathryn Santana Goldman is a native of San Francisco. Her interest in poetry began when she was working in ICU as a registered nurse. She used this practice to process the variety of stressful scenarios experienced. Over the years, she has continued to experiment with different types of writing such as short stories and plays. As an avid traveler, Kathryn has become skilled at capturing photographs about the diversity she encounters. Three years ago, she began to combine her love of photography with her writing by using the images she captures as seeds for her poems. She continues to explore new ways to use these two art forms to share her experience with family and friends.
Other Works in this Issue:
Poetry
The Flamingo Mystery, March 2020
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IN THIS ISSUE

BAY AREA NEIGHBORHOODS

FICTION

INSIDE OLLI

NONFICTION

POETRY

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Vistas & Byways Review is the semiannual journal of fiction, nonfiction and poetry by members of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at San Francisco State University​.​
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Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at San Francisco State University (OLLI at SF State) provides communal and material support to theVistas & Byways  volunteer staff.

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  • Contents
    • In This Issue
    • Fiction
    • Nonfiction
    • Poetry
    • Bay Area Neighborhoods
    • Inside OLLI
  • About Us
  • Contributors
  • Submissions
  • Archive
    • Spring 2020
    • FALL 2019
    • SPRING 2019
    • Fall 2018
    • SPRING 2018
    • FALL 2017
    • FALL 2016
    • SPRING 2016
    • FALL 2015