A Plea to Vaccinate
By An ICU Physician
Sit down, dear stranger, let me tell a tale,
Of the grief and sorrow we have seen of late.
Please listen close as I try to unveil
The accounts of far too many peoples’ fate.
A virus emerged straight out of left field,
Rapidly spreading its wake of destruction.
The initial shock did finally yield,
As our normal lives succumbed to reduction.
We closed down museums, theaters and schools,
Visits were halted in hospitals and homes.
We experienced our first summer without pools,
Classes were held outside under domes.
We cried for protection, we pled for equipment,
We gave up and started to make it ourselves.
We didn’t believe being promised the next shipment,
As bottles of hope flew fast off the shelves.
Panic gave way with data empiric,
Through our sheer will, we stayed in our saddles.
But time showed us our victories were Pyrrhic.
We may win the war, but we’re losing the battles.
I had COVID too, despite all the measures,
It was early on when terror was rife.
Losing my taste and gastronomic pleasures
Was a small price to pay to still have my life.
We took care of your aunt, your dad, and son,
We held their hands tight as they took their last breath.
We gave all we had; when we had left none,
We still gave some more as they left to their death.
A man lost his wife, an infant her mother,
She went too young and fast, no time for goodbye.
A man left a widow, as she watched her brother,
The horror we witnessed no one could deny.
Too many people couldn’t get what we all
Hope we’ll have one day: a proper homegoing.
Pestilence took hold; we took call after call.
Our lives were consumed, we were falling and falling.
At the end of our rope, we saw cause for some hope,
Armed with a shot, we could see out the tunnel.
With pride we bared arms, but still used the soap,
As we gently guided our feelings through a funnel.
As our lives opened up, we sighed with relief,
Then it dawned upon us: not all heard the truth.
The virus mutated, we stared in disbelief:
The unvaccinated were not just the youth.
Now COVID’s back strong, and it’s killing once more,
Our sisters, our cousins, our neighbors are dying.
As we grit our teeth, we’re not keeping score,
We know just how much this wave will be trying.
Let’s dampen these losses, o’er COVID let’s tower,
Believe us, we don’t want to see your regret.
Go get your vaccine, yourselves do empower,
Let’s please end this era, though we’ll never forget.
So, sit down, dear stranger, do hear me out,
So many have perished; so many more may.
Protect yourself and others, set aside doubt,
Let’s together send this virus away.
Written early during the fourth wave when delta was raging.
