National Poetry Month ... Here's 2 About Quarantine and the Current Cultural Climate (109)

Viral Pandemic

a virus sparked civil unrest
both microbial and virtual
word contagion
speeches reminding us
we are caged in

mentally
physically
socially

actions lifting the crest
lowering the trough
are we flattening the curve?
are we doing enough?

voices loud, crowds gather
a call to arms
from a disheveled fear
refusing to adhere
can you hear the alarm?

looming outrage
over isolation
science being upstaged
lost in translation
fear swallows acclamation

How long before unrest
overflows
before common sense
is forced to foreclose
and risk
becomes inevitable


Next

continuance of reality
as we quarantine and harbor in place
politics are front and center
but the virus is the
headline

briefings
opinions
decisions made from above
what comes next?

schools closed, but only some
restaurants and entertainment
paused
but public spaces, parks and streets
starting to fill

blinking eyes in the sunlight
adjusting to outside
while others stay enclosed
protected
from transference

when will we shake hands
hug
stand in a queue not six feet apart
ride the bus, the tube, the L
when will we stand before students
watch them learn

next is a while away
feels like the distance
is narrowing then expanding
by daily whims and decisions
made above us

but we wait
we sit tight
we follow the rules
but we need to keep our eyes
on the truth
what is hidden behind the headline

next is next
but the future is our voices
our rights
our decisions
for now
trust science