Underneath It All
A Pandemic Poem
Underneath it all there is hope
At least I hope there is
It’s hard to know what part of me
is hopeful and what part is unrealistic
in the shadow of a virus
It’s strange when social distancing suits you so well,
but is a prescription for others to stay safe
I think it’s just the fear that is getting to me
from that last bus ride or that trip to CVS
or the cough or sneeze I overheard in public
two weeks ago and thought nothing of
Inside it all there is panic and confusion
because we don’t live in a country that
can universally agree on anything,
much less how to respond to a pandemic
with lawmakers downgrading science to
experimental extrapolation
and wearing gas masks as a joke
(until they are quarantined)
It just makes us look silly and ironic,
not in a good way, that as much as this
spreading illness should bring us together
it’s only breaking us apart into tiny particles
all huddling together in their nook
hoping for widespread answers to our questions
