Pandemic Poems

It was just at the time when we recognized that a pandemic was circling the globe. Stealthily, the words COVID-19 or coronavirus crept into all known languages, an unsolicited addition to everyone’s vocabulary. With multiple protruding spike proteins, its plumped round form became as familiar to us as a baseball. This virus, this submicroscopic collection of genetic code, rapidly took over and ran the show. We went into lock downs, partial or full, became proficient at Zoom, adopted increasing numbers of cats and dogs to stave off the isolation and binge watched movies. Backyards and bird watching gained in popularity. Masks and social distancing mattered. Health care workers and those working in essential services became our new heroes. Around the world economies suffered; people suffered. Daily, deaths occurred in the thousands. It soon became stridently political, and in places conspiracies took hold. Uncertainty and insecurity were the new normal. Whether self-reflection and lessons learned would resolve itself into a better world or land us in a dystopian mess was anyone’s guess.

Poetry’s response was swift and encompassing. These poems, written in that first year between March and August, vividly recall the virus’ impact during this time.