Corona Pt. 2

We woke to birdsong–we did our part
Staying apart.
What struck was tragedy
Disguised as inconvenience.

We gave each other calls,
Sent texts, reached out.
Believing, disbelieving
This could be the end.

In our houses, we got busy!
Fearing idleness
More than isolation.
Oh, the things we would accomplish
As long as we didn’t succumb.

We swam in information.
Digital graphs with variable inputs
Forecasting doom under various circumstances.
We compared mountains to plateaus
And wondered if we’d ever visit Utah.

Doctors, nurses, grocery store clerks became heroes.
The first two we hoped never to meet.
The third did not sign up for this.

It couldn’t be us. It might be us.

Meanwhile in Washington
Opinion writers feasted on partisan bickering
While experts stood ready to grab the mic.

Stocks soared and fell like
High divers in the postponed summer Olympics.
Jobs were lost
Like our hope that we’d conquered infectious disease.

The Earth breathed.
Crickets drank night air.
Sleep wore us out like an empty bucket.

We almost knew we’d make it through.