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April 19, 2020

The Quarantine Chronicles, Day 5

DAY 5: The balconies are singing
Italian nonnas are singing
the friars are singing
la la la
my friend calls it joy
I call it silly
folks are dying
folks are crying
why try 
to feign allegria
hey, we're walkin' here
I want to be angry, depressed
let the dread sink in deep
let my bones feel sick
maybe I just want my own virus
through and through
to be a protagonist
go out with a bang
to be on people's minds
in their prayers, says the non-believer
dress me in the plastic suit
give me a king-sized ration
of pure oxygen, let me hear the final hmm
he's strong, he should pull through.

Last evening I got a chill
out on the damn balcony
I went to bed early not to sleep
but to avoid the TV
I thought I had a fever
could feel it rise like a sea monster
coming up for air
I've got it, first symptom
I'd looked it up on the internet
the thermostat gave me the bad news:
normal, merely normal
you're not special yet, bud
go sing, a song, a smiley one
try being happy
or fake it,
survivor.

1 comment:

E. Martin Pedersen said...

Remember, this was written in early March.