oped letters & comments
Planting spring fl owers in sunny garden
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR APR. 10-16, 2020 13
BY COUINCILMAN
MARK GJONAJ
The response of New
Yorkers to the COVID-19
pandemic makes me remarkably
proud to consider
myself amongst you, but
our fi ght is not over yet.
First responders and
medical workers, fi ghting
on the forefront of this pandemic,
continue to impress
us with their tireless work
ethic and ingenuity in
spite of an overloaded system
and limited resources.
They risk their lives, with
several of them contracting
this disease in pursuit
of their duties. We cannot
commend their bravery
enough, and my offi ce has
made a point of donating
to fi rst responders, including
NYPD. These soldiers of
our city need all the support
we are able to provide them,
and my offi ce will continue
to provide as much support
as it possibly can.
Our essential service
workers are ensuring that
the necessary “fuel” of our
fi ght against coronavirus,
including supermarkets and
pharmacies, remain available.
They are as much heroes
as our fi rst responders,
operating in a support capacity
for them and all New
Yorkers throughout the city.
But our fi rst responders,
medical professionals and
essential service workers
are not the only segments
of our population in this
fi ght. You, by continuing to
practice social distancing
and quarantine, can bring
about the eventual conclusion
of this pandemic. It is
essential that we commit
and recommit ourselves to
these temporary behavioral
changes, despite its unpleasantness.
By doing so, we reduce
the ease with which
this virus can spread to,
amongst other things, protect
the most vulnerable to
serious illness: those with
underlying conditions and
the elderly. My offi ce is also
proud to have facilitated a
number of food giveaways
to areas and people who are
in the greatest need of it. I
cannot stress enough that I,
as your duly elected district
Council Member, will not
abandon you in your hour
of need.
Take care of your health,
both physical and psychological,
as you continue to
practice social distancing
and adherence to shelterin
place. There exists speculation,
emerging from the
Governor’s offi ce, that the
infection rate curve is beginning
to fl atten, due in
large part to social distancing
practices. Keep it up.
As always my offi ce can
be reached at (718) 931-1721
or at mgjonaj@council.nyc.
gov. Thank you and stay
safe.
LET US HEAR FROM YOU
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BY MARIA BONSANTI
Today is Saturday, April 4,
2020. I’m having a routine cup
of morning coffee on my front
deck as I watch an ever-decreasing
number of passersby
wearing an ever-increasing
number of face masks. The
sun is shining. The breeze is
gentle. In my front garden,
the daffodils and purple hyacinths
are in full bloom, the
roses are putting forth new
leaves and shoots, the Japanese
maple is budding profusely,
as is my pink azalea. In
the distance I hear intermittent
shrieks of ambulance sirens,
while on the block someone
is using a leaf-blower to
clear debris from the front
of their home. These are the
sights and sounds of COVID-19
in my world: Mother Nature
giving, Mother Nature taking
away.
My non-COVID life effectively
ended on March 17.
Along with the ghostly echoes
of a St. Patrick’s Day parade
that never marched, I rode
the number 6 subway home
that evening during the commute
that never was. The car
I sat in was nearly empty, and
all I could do was blot out the
silence and try to remember
the sounds I never imagined
I would miss, until that ride.
Gone were the raging lunatics,
the pole acrobats and
their blaring music, the conductor
mispronouncing the
name of the Buhre Avenue
station (no, it is not Byoo-ree.)
Gone was everything that
used to rile me up, but that
comprised much of my neardaily
reality. I sensed, but did
not yet know, that it would be
my last subway ride for a long
time. But back to today.
I decide I have wasted
enough time, and I need to
prepare the vegetable garden.
Normally, by now, I would
have tilled the soil, planted
lettuce seeds, radishes, and
Swiss chard. Maybe even
peas. So I venture into the
back yard, mask-less, which is
a true blessing in this time of
contagion. I have personal outdoor
space in which I feel secure,
unless science discovers
that stray cats and gray squirrels
can carry and spread the
virus! I spade the soil, turning
over about a quarter of the
entire planting bed. Always
this chore has been an act of
meditation: it is impossible to
think of anything when turning
dirt. This is especially
true today, when my battered
psyche gets a much-needed
rest. When I’m done, I feel
achy. (I am no longer young).
I feel relaxed. As an added
bonus, I fi nd many wild dandelion
plants that I dig up for
tonight’s dinner. For those of
you who are not familiar with
this delicacy, no description of
its taste is possible. For those
of us who have grown up on
this seasonal bitter green, no
description is needed.
Since March 17, I have been
drained and exhausted. The
intervals between dread and
depression have not brought
relaxation, just a pause. My
thoughts have been swirling
in a spiral of forced levity
masking a continuous
worry and dread over the welfare
of my family and friends.
But now, I look at the beautiful
soft earth I have smoothed
and raked. It is primed for
sowing. Primed for the cycle
of renewal. I smell this damp
earth. It is the smell of timelessness
and ancient origins.
And I thank Mother Nature.
Yes, she is taking a lot away
from us right now, taking
way too much, actually. Taking
a lot of fun, and plans,
and dreams. Taking a lot of
affectionate, life-affi rming
caresses. Taking an unthinkable
number of souls. But she
has not stopped giving us fl owers
and trees and soil to produce
new growth. And in this
landscape of fertility that is a
simple vegetable patch, I fi nd
hope. I fi nd life.
Op-ed: Councilman
Mark Gjonaj
Courtesy of Councilman Mark Gjonaj’s offi ce
Councilman Mark Gjonaj
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