My Jandek Plague Journal: 5/4/20 "I Stepped Out of It"

"I stopped the world/And I stepped out of it/I cut a clean path/I stepped out of it/I’ve gone and stepped out of everything." Today felt like one of the first days of summer, where it's not just warming but warm and you bear visible sweat from any time outside. I walked to the bank to take care of some business, luxuriating in the sun while also worrying that my sweat would make me look feverish. The pandemic is not yet over, but Korea continues its path of relaxation. Plans have been announced to let students start attending school in person again, gradually, grade-by-grade. My students will start arriving next Wednesday, and how will they feel about finally emerging? My students are focused on international affairs, global interactions, and see their futures in that context. Internationalism and isolation have both become so different during this pandemic. How do they imagine their future now? -5/4/20. "I Stepped Out of It" from The Humility of Pain (lyrics) (one week earlier) (one week later)