Laughter in a Time of Pestilence

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Laughter in a Time of Pestilence

Now more than ever find the humor

In everyday things

The way your neighbor strikes a pose

The way your aunt Rose sings

The way a glance seems out of place

The way her eyes sit on her face

A scientist plays a fool

A genius struggles at school

A gardener in a surgeon’s mask

A penguin wobbling fast

A dentist who never smiles

A fast runner finishing last

A small man standing tall

A proud man takes a fall

A fancy Dan tromps through mud

A wily weakling plays the stud

In a time of sickness death and sorrow

Find the moments that amuse

Survive the hours till tomorrow

Find a way to beat the blues

Future World

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Future World

The question is not whether we will survive

The question is in what form will we survive

We are the creators of a self-perpetuating

Technology that will soon exceed the

Capabilities of the collective human mind

We can never be erased

We can never be eliminated

We cannot be destroyed without

Destroying the very soul of creation

We will exist but in what form?

As caged curiosities for probing?

Or as fully functional humans?

The choice may not be ours

Perhaps it never was

Play Ball!

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Play Ball

Baseball doesn’t matter

It’s just a kid’s game

A pastime for old timers

Who have little time to pass

But a lot of time to spend

Baseball doesn’t matter

Let the kids play soccer

No expensive equipment

No bases no mask no gloves

Just a ball a field and two goals

Let them play stick ball

In open fields or on the streets

Let the multimillionaires who play

For glory adulation and treasure

Go home to count their money

And rest on their laurels

Baseball doesn’t matter

But when the call goes out again

I’ll be there in the stands leaning

Forward waiting patiently for the

Umpire’s proclamation:  Play ball!

We can’t go home again

But we can still dream

Art without Audience

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Art without Audience

Does art exist without the means

To appreciate it? 

Drama without tears

Comedy without laughter

Works of art without eyes to behold

Letters without readers

Concerts without ears

Does art exist in isolation? 

Would an artist bother with creation?

Yes! Yes! and Yes again!

Artistic expression is and always

Will be the highest endeavor of

Human existence

American Negation

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

American Negation

We are told not to gather in groups

We are told not to get too close

We are told not to touch our faces

So naturally we can think of nothing else

We are Americans

We do as we please

We travel our own paths

We proclaim our defiance

In bold proud terms

We will not be told what to do

We will not be commanded

We will not be informed

We will not be demanded

We do not believe in experts

We do not believe in science

We define our own existence

We make our own rules

Even if it kills us

Or our grandparents

Suspended Disbelief

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Suspended Disbelief

There are more of them every day

The ones who think they can bend

The world to their desires

More and more do not believe

What they do not wish to believe

They walk through the world

In defiant ignorance daring

Blowback to wash over them

Like a raging sea

I wish them well

I hope they’re right

I wish their way of thinking

Could became a reality

There is no danger

Because we want no danger

Because we are immune

Because we are the chosen

Because our minds project

Forcefields of protection

In the absence of hard facts

How long can disbelief be suspended

Before it turns to despair?

Withdrawal

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Withdrawal

The great cultural experiment begins

Can we survive without sporting events

Without plays and movies

Without concerts and rallies

Without lectures and poetry readings

Without schools and universities

Without gatherings of any kind

We are social creatures

We exult in vicarious victories

We mourn vicarious defeat

We exist by watching others watching ourselves

We affirm our humanity by observing others

reflecting our place in the world

Who are we without circles of society?

Can we satisfy our needs through

social media and virtual reality?

We have begun our lives as experimental

subjects crash test dummies laboratory rats

like Pavlov’s dogs

We have become raw data to be

processed dissected and analyzed

We are withdrawing cold turkey

from our addictions and some of us

will not get out alive