Oh what shall we call this virulent virus?
Past names of pandemics fail to inspire us
It stems from Wuhan, a big Chinese city,
And those it affects we surely do pity.
Of course we’re uncertain about what to do,
In 1918 it was named Spanish Flu,
That wiped out hundreds, thousands, millions,
A century later we’re vulnerable civilians.
Government crackdowns are met with resistance,
We’re told that we should now keep our distance,
We love our freedom and eschew officialdom.
But six feet apart is a certain safe minimum,
The graphs put forth show us trends demographic,
And how we might slow the spread geographic,
Charts show the toll on youth, seniors, children,
But viruses aren’t bacteria, so forget penicillin.
We’re asked that we please shelter in place
Give up all meetings…avoid face to face,
Work from home, and never go shopping,
Except to buy groceries—then home (no stopping).
Life is uncertain, it’s always changing,
Routines we had now need rearranging,
At this point we don’t know how all this will end,
But meantime, use electronics to seek out a friend.
At home we must sit while our life's on hiatus,
We just have to wait for a big change in status.
Breathe deep while you can to fill up each lung
Do live in the moment and strive to keep young!
Copyright 2020
Frank Bliss
