I tested positive first,
locking myself
in my bedroom for a day,
trading notes with my kids
under my door.

When they tested positive,
they cheered
like they had won
a contest,
like hugging
was the prize.

There was a fever
and a scary rash,
but there was also dancing
and tie-dye
and ice cream with sprinkles
and our house got so messy
we barely noticed
the fort.

My kids slept in there
on the last day of quarantine,
stayed up late
giggling about bums,
and I lay awake too,
thinking of all the people
over the last ten days
who had called and emailed
to see how we were,
to thank us for sharing our results,
to make us laugh.

My daughter turned eight
in the middle of it all,
and a friend dropped off cupcakes,
many made cards,
and two even came to the front lawn
dressed as clowns.

It all made me realize
now that we’re better
that we focused
on the scariest one,
but we tested many things
about our little life
and it turns out
they’d been positive
all along.