Pandemic Poem Pt. I

March 13, 2020, Alone

Listen, there is a fear which feels as much like virus

as anything else. And I am sorry, though this doesn’t matter.

There are frozen bags of broccoli on the floor of the supermarket

and headlines enough to make the certain crumble

and people in beds that are ill.

Everyone crosses their arms in the subway.

Afraid of what they can’t see (please don’t fear each other).

Disneyland is empty. Though this doesn’t matter. And what

kind of fragile world is this, that forgets that pandemic

is a cooperative board game that requires hands held

even beyond screens.

I do not pretend that I have anything to say

as a single person, but extending yourself

in any way you can can is important. I ask you, operate like a bridge

in the morning over water. The sun coming up,

over some strange hill ,and some more distant horizon.

You are important and kind. I love you, I love you, I love you.