Human Copier

I once admired you

Image credit

You come to me for money —
cash that’s yours for the taking
and mine for the reconciling —
funds for a month in the mountains
while we work in a virus-tinged office.

30-day lockdown protected us
from the unknown entering our workspace,
kept us safe from the unseen swirling
in droplets through cooled air.

But, now, it’s over.

The protection, not the virus, is gone.

No lockdown, no safety,
doors open, bodies arriving
with and without masks
and we can’t escape, can’t protect
ourselves or each other.

Though the numbers climb.

Though we all know someone who is a statistic.

You talk a constant rattle,
words copied from the mouth
of the National Idiot —
more tests, more cases,
younger and stronger,
under control.