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People cried out “Who is that masked man?” as the Lone Ranger galloped away with Tonto, calling out “Hi-yo, Silver, away.”  Now we ask that about everybody because we are in the age of masks, and it might be a little discomforting to be reminded that no one ever saw the Lone Ranger without his mask! He lived a good life after he disappeared into the prairies. He rode on in books and movies, television and little boys playing behind the garage. He may have been ‘lone’ but he was never alone—but that was before the Pandemic.

Now we are all partly alone. Will anyone ever see us without our masks? Will you ever see the face of your colleague, your neighbor on the elevator, the man or woman who always rides the same bus? To push it, is it conceivable that you will never see the whole face of a grandchild? Yes, it is conceivable. 

And thus the world rolls on, masked, yearning and alone. Hi-yo, neighbor. Away. Away. Away. . . .