Square One
For a
brief moment it seemed
We had it
under control
We hunkered
down
Sheltered
in place
Recognized
the threat
Protected
our space
In a
nightmare of misery
New York
showed us the way
As our
fellow citizens suffered
It was
impossible to ignore
The harsh
reality of pandemic
The bitter
taste of death
Played out
on our TV screens
Until our
president stepped forward
To fight
for the other side
(a side we
did not know there was)
To
challenge his supporters to defy
All means
and measures of slowing
The viral
cloud of destruction
Masks
slowed the virus
Don’t
wear a mask
A
constitutional right
Distancing
slowed the virus
To hell
with distance
Open
the bars and churches
Keep
the meat plants running!
Everything
that could be done
Was not
done with relish
Even when
the virus spread
Even when
it spun out of control
Now we’re
back to square one
And the
president falls silent
Let’s move
on now
And
pretend it’s all a dream
We’ll snap
our fingers
And make
it go away
But it
won’t go away
It will
spread its deadly breath
Until a
vaccine is ready
And
another person sits
In the
oval office
