The Questions
I'm a Moderna like my parents. 
Sarah Moderna!
My husband will be a Pfizer soon. 
David Pfizer!
I know some Johnson & Johnson's. 
One and done. 

The questions we ask each other now: 
Which shot? 
How'd you book it? 
Any side effects? 
How long was the needle
  and did you look? 
When's your second dose? (if applicable)

This time last year 
It was all beginning--
The two week lockdown
That turned into months
  of wondering: 
When will this be over? 

We still don't know

But we're starting to ask questions
We've waited so long to ask: 
When can I see you? 
When can I hug you?
When can I put my face next to your
  face and breathe? That may be a while. 

This is how I wash my masks
In the kitchen sink
Under warm running water
Two at a time. 

Squeeze a dollop of soap
On one mask
Rub it against the other. 

Little soapy bubbles 
Squish squish squish
Through three layers of fabric. 

Rinse and rinse 
Till water runs clear. 

Hang to dry
On a sun soaked rack.  

The Hate Look
Two old men walk into
A local market and stop
At the dessert case near the door. 
"We're too late," they say together,
"All the peanut butter cookies are gone."
They come here every day.  
One man wears a mask on his face, 
The other on his wrist. 
They keep chattering on
While the rest of the customers (the limit is 5)
Look at them aghast.
The cashier intervenes.  
The wrist masked man realizes his error. 
"So that's why you're all giving me the hate look." 

Subject: 100,000 Deaths
Just a quick update
To let you know
The grim projections I discussed
In my poem last month
Have been realized. 
100,000 more COVID deaths, 
400,000 to 500,000 in the space
Of a little over a month. 
I write to you this way
Because I have more experience
Composing sensitive emails 
Than I do writing poetry. 
No need to reply. 

Almost Booked It
The way my Dad described it
Was for a brief amount of time 
He believed he might book a vaccine appointment. 
There was an open slot. 
He woke my Mom at 1am, "Let's Book!"
By time they filled in the questionnaire
And hit submit, though, it was gone. 
They've stumbled on a bit of luck since then: 
A friend who knew of some openings at a pharmacy. 
Again, false starts--unrecognized submissions
But eventually they triumphed. 
My Aunts were not so fortunate.
Tomorrow they'll roll the dice again,
Play all the sites,
Refresh...refresh...refresh,
Until they hit the jackpot: 
A little box that says 4:40pm. 

Spam Risk
It's not enough that my parents
Can't find an open vaccine appointment
Now that they're eligible. 
They also have to deal with me, 
Their oldest daughter, 
Phoning and texting them at all hours
Asking if they've booked anything yet. 
My mom didn't answer my call today
Probably because her phone company's
Started labelling me 'Spam Risk.'

Happy Groundhog Day! 
I couldn't sleep last night. 
I woke up at 2am
Ready to defend the world against coronavirus
Feeling responsible for everyone, 
A heavy burden to bear in the dark
For someone as powerless as me. 

Last week I woke up one day before 6am
And opened up my email in bed--
Like I shouldn't. 
I swear the front page headlines
Appearing in my daily news email
Were the same as the day before. 
I thought I must be caught in a 
Groundhog Day scenario. 

Time has moved forward since then
To today, which is Groundhog Day,
Thankfully. 

All of me is clinging toward an ending--
The return of things I love: 
Travel, family visits, theater crowds, 
Standing close talking with someone new, 
Wondering can we be friends? 
Zooming for convenience instead of by mandate. 
Grocery shopping on a Tuesday afternoon just because. 
Meals inside a noisy restaurant
Where dinner voices echo off the walls, 
"There's too much salt in this."
I'd say late night bar crowds, 
But I'll probably have aged out of all that
By time this is over. 
Hopping on a rower after someone else
During a relay race at the gym. 
Taking off from the starting line with a 
Thousand other runners corralled in groups A, B, C, D, E. 
Leading big tours at the cemetery. 
Performing improv in front of a crowd. 
Hugging an old friend tight. 
I will, however, miss the masks. 

100,000 Projected to Die
I can't get over this feeling--
Surpassing 400,000 US COVID deaths. 
500,000 projected by the end of February,
The month that follows the one we're in now. 
100,000 more people who might die
Who haven't yet. 
A forecasted wave of tragedy
Ready to befall us. 

I fell away from writing my weekly Corona poems. It happened around the time that Trump was diagnosed with COVID and continued through both election cycles, the presidential in November and our special election here in Georgia in January. I’ve been beating myself up a bit for falling out of the routine because I wanted to use the poems as a way to document this time period. But what’s done is done, and as much as I wish the pandemic was already over, it’s not. So I’m starting up again with the aim of posting weekly on Tuesdays.

Tooth Decay
I apologize for the lack of poetry 
But my heart has been caught by,
Between my teeth waiting--waiting to 
Chomp down on this election cycle. 
I can feel the pounding resonating
Through my molars--pounding sensitive gums. 
I haven't been to the dentist
Since this whole thing started,
Six month check up supposed to be in May. 
How many cavities have gone unfilled? 
And do these tooth tolls matter to the electorate?
How about the other ones? 
I guess we'll find out soon.