Updating
There is a virus in the world that’s
Killing people
(there are other things that kill us, too)
Some people, many, most in fact
Have responded well
Quietly, not so quietly
Watching after
Each other
Enduring hoarding that is
The villain’s privilege
Governments have
Responded, some much
Later than the others
Some are doing well, though the more
Fractious institutions
(not so much the scientific ones,
we hope)
The more the stumping
As if this were a matter more
For Indifferent reelection
Than the health
Of nations, cities, villages, and
Outlying—families, one
Person by one
So more will die
And the privileged
Will not take credit for this
In the scientific places,
Teams are working hard, to say the least,
The right kind of aggression
Understanding that
There are no politics in molecules,
That a virus doesn’t care
Who gets elected
Who stamps harder in
The podium floor
Like Rumpelstiltskin, until disappearing
Molecules don’t care
The molecules of viruses simply
Want to thrive
C L Couch
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
Kras-Driven Lung Cancer. Created by Eric Snyder, 2015.
clcouch123 
March 29, 2020 at 8:29 pm
Yes, that is very true. One thing we are learning from this is that we are terrifyingly dependent on China. Everything is made there, including of course surgical masks and ventilators.
I hope you’re coping with this, staying at home and keeping out of harm’s way.
April 2, 2020 at 8:58 pm
Thanks, I’m trying. So much is invisible, of course. I hope you are all well where you are.
April 2, 2020 at 9:05 pm
We’re all well thanks. Waiting for the worst to hit over the next two weeks or so.
April 2, 2020 at 10:33 am
There are no politics in molecules,
That a virus doesn’t care
Who gets elected
Who stamps harder in
The podium floor
Like Rumpelstiltskin, until disappearing
EPIC. Epic lines, brother. It is a heartbreak. The deaths. The cases. The chaos. The leaders who are all but disappointing. The blind supporters who are still rooting for them. It is a dark hole of this history.
April 2, 2020 at 8:56 pm
Too true, sister. It’s tragic. Those of us who can must keep going, though it would be heart-achingly better if our leaders helped us.
April 4, 2020 at 9:24 am
Yea. Blessed are those who do help. Stay well, brother!