Aotearoa New Zealand, 2022

Inside the Outside

During the pandemic the concepts of ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ became blurred for me, even intertwined. Working from home brought the outside world inside my personal space. Being on the deck or in the backyard was outside but was inside the ‘safe zone’. Getting out of the closed-in world required extra effort, a striving for greater escapism from outside of my own thoughts, my claustrophobic headspace. Even when genuinely outside, being behind a mask and avoiding eye contact felt like being deep within myself. I was out but I was in, and when I was inside I felt out of touch with the outside world. This blurring of lines required adjustment, adaptation, re-orientation.

It’s been confusing and unsettling, but I’m still in the game.

 

 

 

 

 

Keith Nunes (Aotearoa) has had poetry, fiction, haiku and visuals published around the globe. He creates ethereal manifestations because he’s inept at anything practical or useful.