A new language being built —

it started with Prepare for Social Distancing

then the order, Shelter in Place, a quarantine 

to protect others. The paint company rep

showed up with a mask, for my safety he said,

of course. Hands chapped from washing.

Super aware of sneezes, coughs, sniffles

as never before. At the airport, in a crowded

waiting area, this new world burgeoning —

the man next to me moved because the man

next to him snored. The woman next to me

sniffled in regular intervals. All this sudden 

hyperawareness, the germs that might be

 on the edge of the plastic cup I hold, coconut

 milk I bought at the Mexican bar, it tastes

 so good. I will not let my life be ruled by fear

 of germs. Everyone obsessed with hand sanitizer,

 making their own, buying alcohol, cleaning supplies,
 

toilet paper, to excess. We are in a frenzy—red

states against blue states and someone will decide

who dies and only the rich get test results. And everyone

is going online, and yes, creativity is soaring, exploding,

but we forget the children who will die without

their parents. I walk on the plane seeing red.


We’re running a Coronavirus poem once a week, after a call for submissions. You can read more information, and a listing of the poems, here.