c.
2020 Rod Ice
All
rights reserved
(3-20)
For
a creative writer, every situation brings cause to put pen to paper.
Every challenge moves us to type out lines of prose. To tell stories.
To live through a stream-of-consciousness given life in words. So
with the Coronavirus loose and among us in North America, I was moved
to reflect on the habits of a contact from the bygone Davie Allan Fan
Group online. He was a relic of the hippie era, given to wild imagery
and free-flowing language that seemed to express a perspective the
rest of us could only try to imagine. I learned from his shared
messages, frequently wandering trips through the verbal cosmos.
He
was known by the unlikely moniker of ‘Boobie.’
While
trying to find useful inspiration from the chaos of this virus, I sat
at my computer and let this distant muse speak in otherworldly
whispers. With encouragement given like kisses from a parent.
The
result follows here:
Coronavirus
challenge
Waves
from Hades
Sinking,
submerged, beneath the foam
We
are all alone
One
and done
Quarantine
is no fun
No
sports
No
nights at the bar
Close
the liquor stores
Not
here but next door
Lay
off the downtown whores
The
ones who skim from stock market trades
Satan,
not today!
Market
index in the tank
We
have a virus to thank
My
friends are where I am
Drinking
warm beer
Eating
dinner from a can
Watching
reruns of ‘The Sopranos’
Nowhere
to go
Everything
is closed
Except
for the supermarket space
Where
hoarders strip the shelves
Buy
toilet paper by the case
Pandemic
panic
To
arms!
Testing
not touching
Chloroquine
drops
The
trading stops
When
doctors speculate
That
it comes too late
Harlequin
hops
Antiseptic
mops
Directives
from the CDC
Absolution
from our sins
A
prayer we deploy
A
balm for the hoi polloi
Let
the press release read
There
was much concern
From
Illinois
Bulletin:
Maintain your distance!
Six
feet, if you please
Keep
away, you from me
Fear
and frenzy
A
yowl of injured souls
Goes
loudly toward the sky
Be
careful friends
Wash
your hands
Do
not die
Bulletin:
Stay at home!
Be
together, alone!
SARS
CoV-2
For
me and you
Let
the invisible invader find no comfort
No
transport
Being
carried on your flesh
Society
is a mess
Jamming
groceries in their carts
Standing
72 inches apart
Art
Bell is on the air
An
undead voice from beyond
East
of the Rockies
West
of the Rockies
On
your BayGen, Freeplay radio
Caller,
you may go
Say
a prayer for the sick
Coughing
up the debris
Of
excess
We
have met the enemy
They
are we
Written
like a movie script
With
the hero in a pit
Thrashing,
gnashing teeth
But
with redemption, complete
Mere
pages away
It
lifts the spirit, they say
This
epic fight
To
go boldly
Into
the good night
COVID-19
The
perpetual data-stream
Plugged
in
Connected
From
damnation, protected
Ritual
washing of hands
A
cleansing act
For
every man
Whole
wheat, sourdough and challah
Jesus,
Buddah and Allah
Old
habits die hard
With
us marching in the yard
Masks
in place
Pleading
silently for heavenly grace
For
deliverance from the beast
Which
we have released
A
name on the Lysol can
Conspiracy
Theories
written in all caps
Keyboard
taps
Wild
in the head
Choosing
nonsense instead
Cult
of personality
Oaths
taken
From
Ashtabula to Interlaken
We
have put down the seed
Which
brought us, humbled, to this crisis of need
Boldness,
arrogance
Waving
banners
For
media moguls
And
social planners
For
movers and shakers
And
birthday cake bakers
Priests
Poets
Pundits
Prophets
Poppycock-pushers
Pressure
Pills
Pandemic
yield
Bodies
in the field
A
generation marked
Tattooed
in the dark
We
won’t soon forget
That
God put us to the test
We
the loud children
Wailing
at the gates
Like
outcast beggars who came to the throne
A
moment too late
Dressed
in rags
With
dirty feet
Suddenly
gone silent
Time
to pay the rent
Amen
I
reckon that our friend Boobie must be busy with his own lyrical
analysis of the Coronavirus. For reporters of news around the globe,
it has represented a ‘call to arms’ unseen since the Second World
War. But for us of a more creative bent, it has opened a portal to
self-care and awareness that is undeniably useful in helping to
preserve the human spirit inside ourselves.
Comments
about ‘Words on the Loose’ may be sent to:
icewritesforyou@gmail.com
Write
us at: P. O. Box 365 Chardon, OH 44024
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