Barbara Leeds > Samples > Pandemic Poems >
June 2020
Barbara Leeds
Too much happening
Can’t keep up
Global pandemic
Over 100,000 dead in America
Businesses shuttered
People out of work
Another Depression?
Wait—we’re opening up
Already?
Every day more sickness, more death
Still no vaccine, no cure
Not enough personal protective equipment
Even for those on the front lines
Those most vulnerable
Fearing germs
I leave the daily newspaper
On the porch
For a day
To disinfect in the sun
Always behind
The baby birds
New life in my patio
Already moved on
Another unarmed black man
In a long line of unarmed black men
Murdered by police
So many hurting
For everyone who hurts
I hurt too
Want to join the protests
If they’ll have an old white lady
But what about masks?
Social distancing?
How can hundreds or thousands maintain
Six feet apart?
Voices in solidarity
Loud
Chanting and singing
Like coughing and sneezing
Dangerous
Violent eruptions
Social media post: “Watch for bricks”
Want to be there
To stand strong
To help
Afraid
What next?
Copyright © 2020 Barbara Leeds