Plague Poems – The Two-Hundred-and-Seventh Week

We are ready
so very ready
to change the world
and do whatever is needed
to take this rotten world
and built it anew.

Yes, we are ready
so very ready
to change the world
and do whatever is needed
just so long
as no one asks us
to wear a mask.

*

No one expects you
to be among the bravest
there are always some
a rare few
who respond to injustice
with more courage
that we can muster,
with more courage
than we can imagine,
no one expects you
to be among the bravest
but this does not entitle you
to do nothing.

*

I saw a teacher
ask educators to mask
if they see a masked student
and when I asked
my friend, the teacher,
for her opinion on this
she said it was good advice
but she explained the reason
she wears one
is that she wants
her students to learn
to take care of each other.

*

There are days
when I am overwhelmed
by the need to mourn
for the loss
of a human.

And there are days
when I am overwhelmed
by the need to mourn
for the loss
of our humanity.

*

Editorial Note: This is a collection of Plague Poems written between February 26, 2024 and March 1, 2024.

They were initially posted online on X/Twitter at @plaguepoems, on Mastodon at @plaguepoems@mastodon.social, on Bluesky at @plaguepoems, on Threads at @plague_poems, and on Instagram at @plague_poems.

Throughout the duration of this crisis new poems will be posted regularly at the above mentioned accounts, they will then be collected and reposted here as weekly compendiums.

*

There must be a word
that describes the feeling
of enjoying a perfect spring day
in February
knowing the weather
to be a clear sign
of dangerous changes
but in that moment
simply enjoying the sun,
yes, that word must exist
in the forgotten language
of some collapsed civilization.

*

For every coughing fit
he offers a clear explanation
it’s just too dry in here
or he swallowed badly
or he had to clear his throat
or something or something
for every coughing fit
he can explain it away
just don’t point out
how frequent
his powerful coughing fits
have become.

*

They worry
that everyone is sick
with a mystery virus
but if they see you
taking precautions
they will ask you
why you are doing so
as if it’s a mystery.

*

I’ve heard it said
that the virus can linger
that the virus can hide
in our bones
which is a frightful thing
only made more frightful
by how this virus has shown
the cruelty that lingers
the cruelty that hides
in our society’s bones.

*

Somewhere
in the USA yesterday
the front page announced
“Long COVID sufferers
are feeling abandoned”
though the headline
would have been
even more accurate
had it replaced
the words “are feeling”
with the words “have been.”

*

I will admit it
though I know
it will not reflect well on me
there was a time
when I enjoyed
a slight rebellious thrill
at being the only one masked
in meetings in stores in classrooms
yes, I will admit it,
but that was long ago
and now as the only one masked
I just feel alone.

*

In the business press
I saw a headline which read:
“A Spike
in Heart Disease Deaths
Since
Covid
Is Puzzling Scientists”
but having read and reread
the headline, I must say
this does not really seem
all that puzzling.

*

When I explain to him
that I’m struggling
he always tells me I just need
to fake it until I make it
but what he doesn’t understand
is that the reason I’m struggling
is because everyone around me
thinks fake it until you make it
is an effective response
to a pandemic.

*

When I cannot sleep
I stare at the ceiling
and imagine
how my life might have been
had I studied elsewhere
had I told them how I felt
had I never quit that job
had I tried to sell that novel
but I remind myself
that no matter what
I’d still be here
trying to survive a pandemic.

*

Celebrities
keep canceling events
due to some odd virus.

Coworkers
keep missing work
due to some odd virus.

Friends
keep struggling with symptoms
due to some odd virus.

But should you comment
that we are still in a pandemic
you will be looked at
as if you said something odd.

*

Be honest with yourself
it’s time to throw away
the sourdough starter
that is still lurking
in the back of your refrigerator
it was a fine ambition
but the stage of the pandemic
where we looked for fun projects
is behind us
the only project that matters now
is trying to survive.

*

Is there a difference
between
the end of the world
and the end of the world
as you know it?

Yes, there is a difference
between the two.

The difference is
that when the world
as you know it ends
you still must
go to work the next day.

*

In the fifth year
of the pandemic
you are permitted
to live your life
in any way you choose
yes, you are permitted
to live your life
in any way you choose
except for ways
that might remind others
that they too are
in the fifth year
of the pandemic.

*

My expectations
are too high, and as a result
I have accustomed myself
to frequent disappointment
yes, I know,
I often expect too much
and now I recognize
that I was a fool to expect
the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
to try to control and prevent disease.

*

The headlines say
that the CDC
is shortening isolation periods
the headlines mean
that the CDC
is shortening lifespans.

*

The CDC
has offered new guidelines
their new guidelines say:
the virus has won.

*

I know, my exhausted friend,
that when the guidelines change
it can become unclear
what to do and how to feel
but you already know
that regardless of how
the guidelines change
our obligation
to take care of each other
remains the same.

*

*

Plague Poems…the following week

Plague Poems…the first week

Plague Poems…the full list

About Z.M.L

“I do not believe that things will turn out well, but the idea that they might is of decisive importance.” – Max Horkheimer librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com @libshipwreck

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