After hearing the WHO announcement ("Covid-19 outbreak is a pandemic"), I started writing my Coronavirus Poetry Diary: "Laughing" in the Face of Adversity.
If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. -- Jim Valvano
First Entry
If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. -- Jim Valvano
First Entry
coronavirus alert
this urge to touch the face
of my shadow
Second Entry
Second Entry
rush-hour panic
at the subway station
Chinese Canadians
dressed in hazmat suits
chanting stop the spread of racism
Third Entry: written in response to the anti-racist message (" I am not a virus, I am a human being") conveyed in a viral youtube video posted by Massimiliano Martigli Jiang
Bridge of Sighs
Chinese boy and Italian girl
air-kissing
Fourth Entry for my favorite Italian novelist, Italo Calvino, author of If on a winter's night a traveler
the world smaller
but more distant and colder ...
my gondola glides
through the Grand Canal
in a virus-free dream
Third Entry: written in response to the anti-racist message (" I am not a virus, I am a human being") conveyed in a viral youtube video posted by Massimiliano Martigli Jiang
Bridge of Sighs
Chinese boy and Italian girl
air-kissing
Fourth Entry for my favorite Italian novelist, Italo Calvino, author of If on a winter's night a traveler
the world smaller
but more distant and colder ...
my gondola glides
through the Grand Canal
in a virus-free dream
Fifth Entry
It is what it is
"When you believe in God, he will not give you more than you can handle; when infected with doubt during a time of crisis, you should respond by seeking the right answer to your question," the pastor said in a firm, yet affectionate tone as he accompanied me to the parking lot. In the corner of my mind, God's words lingered, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
The following day, in the shadow of this one-hundred-year-old church, I pause to wonder, “Am I as strong in the eyes of God and his mighty power as a true believer?" The path to the church entrance seems long ... and narrow. The pastor starts preaching at this much-anticipated Sunday Service.
social distancing
versus spiritual nearing ...
It is what it is
"When you believe in God, he will not give you more than you can handle; when infected with doubt during a time of crisis, you should respond by seeking the right answer to your question," the pastor said in a firm, yet affectionate tone as he accompanied me to the parking lot. In the corner of my mind, God's words lingered, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
The following day, in the shadow of this one-hundred-year-old church, I pause to wonder, “Am I as strong in the eyes of God and his mighty power as a true believer?" The path to the church entrance seems long ... and narrow. The pastor starts preaching at this much-anticipated Sunday Service.
social distancing
versus spiritual nearing ...
Sixth Entry
shelves wiped clean
of hand sanitizers --
I have a footshake
with my new neighbor
behind his mask
NeverEnding Story, March 11, 2020
Seventh Entry
Reality Show Host
just like the flu ...
all eyes on the last pack
of toilet paper
social distancing ...
further and further away
from the President
Relax, it all will pass ...
this infectious silence
of the American Dream Mall
we're doing great ...
in my virus-free dream
the White House locked down
NeverEnding Story, March 16, 2020
Note: American Dream is a retail and entertainment complex in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States, that has over 450 stores and 33ooo parking spaces.
Eighth Entry
Chinese virus ...
Reality Show Host
just like the flu ...
all eyes on the last pack
of toilet paper
social distancing ...
further and further away
from the President
Relax, it all will pass ...
this infectious silence
of the American Dream Mall
we're doing great ...
in my virus-free dream
the White House locked down
NeverEnding Story, March 16, 2020
Note: American Dream is a retail and entertainment complex in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States, that has over 450 stores and 33ooo parking spaces.
Eighth Entry
Chinese virus ...
darkness descends on the White House
raven by raven
PoemHunter, March 19 2020
Ninth Entry for Rick Grimes who cries out in a storm, "Rest in peace. Now get up. and go to war," The Walking Dead, Season 5.
Chinese virus ...
in my infectious dream
the White House
toppled by the army
of the walking dead
PoemHunter, March 20 2020
Tenth Entry (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada)
nursing home silhouette
I air high-five my old friend
at the window
PoemHunter, March 21 2020
Eleventh Entry (Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy):
the cathedral
silhouetted against gray sky
an old man
reads through ten full pages
of obituaries
Twelfth Entry (Siena, Central Italy):
moonlight
floods empty alleys ...
one Italian
singing to another
on Juliet balconies
Thirteenth Entry
shades of gray
seen from my attic window
shelter in place
PoemHunter, March 25 2020
Fourteenth Entry:written in response to "No Canadian" Trending on Twitter
Fifteenth Entry, A profile of Covidiots with guns
100 more
coronavirus deaths --
the lineup curls
around the parking lot
of a gun megastore
raven by raven
PoemHunter, March 19 2020
Ninth Entry for Rick Grimes who cries out in a storm, "Rest in peace. Now get up. and go to war," The Walking Dead, Season 5.
Chinese virus ...
in my infectious dream
the White House
toppled by the army
of the walking dead
PoemHunter, March 20 2020
Tenth Entry (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada)
nursing home silhouette
I air high-five my old friend
at the window
PoemHunter, March 21 2020
Eleventh Entry (Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy):
the cathedral
silhouetted against gray sky
an old man
reads through ten full pages
of obituaries
Twelfth Entry (Siena, Central Italy):
moonlight
floods empty alleys ...
one Italian
singing to another
on Juliet balconies
Thirteenth Entry
shades of gray
seen from my attic window
shelter in place
PoemHunter, March 25 2020
Fourteenth Entry:written in response to "No Canadian" Trending on Twitter
CovidiotInChief: plan to send troops along the US— ——— —— .... Canada border
Fifteenth Entry, A profile of Covidiots with guns
100 more
coronavirus deaths --
the lineup curls
around the parking lot
of a gun megastore
Sixteenth Entry,written in response to this alarming new: Asian-Americans are rushing to buy guns as they observe an increased number of Asians being targeted by coronavirus-related attacks
Chinese virus ...
long wait at the iron door
of a gun store
an Asian-looking man sighs,
I just want some peace of mind
PoemHunter, March 31 2020
Seventeenth Entry, April Fools' Day, written in response to the March 29 tweet, "President Trump is a ratings hit." posted by CovidiotInChief, Donald Trump
We're doing great ...
goose-stepping Covidiots
OutTrump one another
goose-stepping Covidiots
OutTrump one another
PoemHunter, April 1 2020
quarantined
Eighteenth Entry, written in response to Pandemic could lead to home-cooking revival
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day
the news host
almost yells, flattening the curve ...
head down, I look
at my pot belly
and take one bite of cake
quarantined
for another two weeks...
grocery run
for a brand new copy
of Home Cooking for Dummies
NeverEnding Story, April 1 2020
Nineteenth Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary written in response to Donald Trump's ban on N95 masks sent to Canada
the White House
encircled by the Great Wall
of N95 masks --
the face of a tired nurse staring
into the camera ... at Death
Twentieth Entry
Twentieth Entry
refrigerated trucks
outside a hospital
an old man
under the shadowy gaze
of the Empire State Building
PoemHunter, April 6 2020
Twenty-First Entry
balcony workout
a side-glance at the bruises
on my neighbor's neck
PoemHunter, April 8 2020
PoemHunter, April 6 2020
Twenty-First Entry
balcony workout
a side-glance at the bruises
on my neighbor's neck
PoemHunter, April 8 2020
Twenty-Second Entry, written on the 100th day of the first Covid19 case reported to the WHO
after ten years of trying...
the distance
between my wife and me
shrinks to the space between laptops
Twenty-Third Entry, on Wuhan, China’s coronavirus epicentre, ending 76-day lockdown
A "Good Old" Day
Twenty-Third Entry, on Wuhan, China’s coronavirus epicentre, ending 76-day lockdown
A "Good Old" Day
touch of sunshine
a mother and her kids stroll
down a Wuhan street
Tsingtao beer gone flat
rainbow flowers blooming
in the sky
PoemHunter, April 9 2020
Note: "Tsingtao Brewery Co. Ltd. is China's second largest brewery, with about 15% of domestic market share. It was founded in 1903 by German settlers in Qingdao, Shandong province... The Tsingtao brand is sold in 62 countries and regions around the world, and accounts for more than 50% of China's beer exports."
PoemHunter, April 9 2020
Note: "Tsingtao Brewery Co. Ltd. is China's second largest brewery, with about 15% of domestic market share. It was founded in 1903 by German settlers in Qingdao, Shandong province... The Tsingtao brand is sold in 62 countries and regions around the world, and accounts for more than 50% of China's beer exports."
Twenty-Fourth Entry
Good Friday night
punctuated by sirens --
in my dream
a man on the road to Damascus
wears the crown of thorns
Twenty-Fifth Entry, written for this Easter long weekend
Twenty-Fifth Entry, written for this Easter long weekend
staycation for the nation
I whisper to my dog
... and myself
PoemHunter, April 11 2020
PoemHunter, April 11 2020
Twenty-Sixth Entry, written on Holy and Great Saturday
morning chill
morning chill
the sound of an empty
St. Peter's Square
Twenty-Seventh Entry, Easter Sunday Service
sunlight
through stained glass windows ...
tomorrow
will worry about itself
echoing in an empty church
Twenty-Eighth Entry, Easter Monday
the priest recites
Therefore do not worry
about tomorrow...
photos of the congregation
attached to wooden benches
Twenty-Ninth Entry
Twenty-Eighth Entry, Easter Monday
the priest recites
Therefore do not worry
about tomorrow...
photos of the congregation
attached to wooden benches
Twenty-Ninth Entry
drive-thru confession
Father I have sinned ...
sinned against myself
PoemHunter, April 13 2020
PoemHunter, April 13 2020
Thirtieth Entry
wisps of snow
my old dog and I
six feet apart
PoemHunter, April 16 2020
Thirty-First Entry, inspired by CTV's news: 99-year-old WWII vet raises £9.5 million (US$11 million) for the U.K.'s NHS
crisis fundraising:
in the breezy sunshine
step by step
a WWII vet walking
100 laps of his garden
NeverEnding Story, April 16 2020
Thirty-Second Entry, a sequel to the thirty-first entry, written for Captain Tom Moore who raises £15m for NHS as he completes garden walk
garden walk done
a WWII vet trudges past
rows of honor guards
Thirty-Third Entry, written in response to CBC News: Trump tweets support for 'responsible' protesters
NeverEnding Story, April 16 2020
Thirty-Second Entry, a sequel to the thirty-first entry, written for Captain Tom Moore who raises £15m for NHS as he completes garden walk
garden walk done
a WWII vet trudges past
rows of honor guards
Thirty-Third Entry, written in response to CBC News: Trump tweets support for 'responsible' protesters
END the LOCKDOWN ...
protesters choke the streets
with their cars
blocking ambulances
from reaching the hospital
PoemHunter, April 18 2020
PoemHunter, April 18 2020
Note: This tanka could be read as a sequel to the seventeenth entry, April Fools' Day, written in response to the March 29 tweet, "President Trump is a ratings hit." posted by CovidiotInChief, Donald Trump
We're doing great ...
goose-stepping Covidiots
OutTrump one another
goose-stepping Covidiots
OutTrump one another
PoemHunter, April 1 2020
Thirty-Fourth Entry, a sequel to the thirty-third entry
Opening Up America Again
the size of this billboard
seen from my attic window
PoemHunter, April 21 2020
Thirty-Fifth Entry, written for health care workers and Leonard Cohen
in breezy moonlight
Montrealers on balconies
burst into song:
Come over to the window
Come over to the window
my little darling
Thirty-Sixth Entry
quarantine
just still-time spent
with this attic...
I murmur to myself
and empty streets below
Thirty-Seventh Entry, a sequel to the thirty-sixth entry:
quarantined
for weeks in an attic
of shadows ...
I open the window
to birdsong and my heart
PoemHunter, April 25 2020
Thirty-Sixth Entry
quarantine
just still-time spent
with this attic...
I murmur to myself
and empty streets below
Thirty-Seventh Entry, a sequel to the thirty-sixth entry:
quarantined
for weeks in an attic
of shadows ...
I open the window
to birdsong and my heart
PoemHunter, April 25 2020
Thirty-Eighth Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary, written in response to CTV News on April 24: A National Disgrace: 1475 deaths in long-term care homes and nursing homes are made up of 67% of the total number of coronavirus deaths in Canada
strong wind warning
four more body bags wheeled out
of a nursing home
PoemHunter, April 26 2020
strong wind warning
four more body bags wheeled out
of a nursing home
PoemHunter, April 26 2020
Note: This haiku is a sequel to the tenth entry:
nursing home silhouette
I air high-five my old friend
at the window
PoemHunter, March 21 2020
Thirty-Ninth Entry, a sequel to the thirty-eighth entry
an old woman
in the rain-streaked window --
new death toll
in the rain-streaked window --
new death toll
French Translation by Serge Tome
une vieille femme
dans la fenêtre balayée par la pluie --
nouveau décompte des morts
PoemHunter, April 26 2020
une vieille femme
dans la fenêtre balayée par la pluie --
nouveau décompte des morts
PoemHunter, April 26 2020
Fortieth Entry, written in response to Pawning During A Pandemic
lockdown lifted ...
a lineup stretches
10 blocks
from EZ Pawn
in the morning chill
Note: This tanka is a sequel to the 33rd entry:
END the LOCKDOWN ...
protesters choke the streets
with their cars
blocking ambulances
from reaching the hospital
Forty-First Entry
death toll rising
in California sunshine
thousands flock to beaches
Forty-Second Entry, written for Bill Withers
balcony concert
my dog and I sing along
to LeanOnMe
Forty-First Entry
death toll rising
in California sunshine
thousands flock to beaches
Forty-Second Entry, written for Bill Withers
balcony concert
my dog and I sing along
to LeanOnMe
PoemHunter, April 29 2020
Forty-Third Entry, written on the day of the US hitting one million confirmed cases and for Dr. Lorna M. Breen, medical director of the emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, who committed suicide last Sunday
onslaught of patients
wheeled into the ER
in the fray
She tried to do her job
and it killed her...
Forty-Fourth Entry
wheeled into the ER
in the fray
She tried to do her job
and it killed her...
Forty-Fourth Entry
a tired nurse
opens the bedside window
my friend's voice
flows in with the night breeze
as his mother's eyes close
Note: This tanka is a sequel to the thirty-ninth entry
an old woman
in the rain-streaked window --
new death toll
flatten the curve --
end the lockdown ...
Forty-Fifth Entry
this scent
of breezy sunshine ...
Hillary Clinton
wears a black mask
with VOTE in white letters
PoemHunter, May 3 2020
FYI: I’ve got the must-have accessory for spring. I’m wearing a mask (and voting!) for my country, my community, and my grandchildren. -- Hillary Clinton, The Hill, May 2
FYI: I’ve got the must-have accessory for spring. I’m wearing a mask (and voting!) for my country, my community, and my grandchildren. -- Hillary Clinton, The Hill, May 2
Forty-Sixth Entry
We're all in this together
kill the virus
kill the virus
not our business ...
the city hall
encircled
by chairs and tables
flatten the curve --
in breezy sunshine
row upon row
of half-naked bodies
on a sandy beach
end the lockdown ...
alone with my dog
for weeks
now I open the window
to taste the noise
Forty-Seventh Entry
Forty-Eighth Entry
brown spots
in the front lawn
spring rain
tapping on the window
and my quarantined mind
Forty-Ninth Entry for Prince Edward Islanders
FYI: APTN's National News, April 7, "Influx of non-residents chasing gas, smokes and pot putting First Nation communities at risk," and APTN's National News, May 13 (starting at 4:04).
Sixty-First Entry
punched in the face
and knocked down to the ground
a Haida man
is told to Go back to China
while walking in Vancouver
PoemHunter, May 17 2020
FYI: Haida are a nation and ethnic group native to Haida Gwaii, an archipelago located off the west coast of Canada.
Forty-Seventh Entry
lockdown lifted
still no handshake, no hug, no kiss
fading into the darkForty-Eighth Entry
brown spots
in the front lawn
spring rain
tapping on the window
and my quarantined mind
Forty-Ninth Entry for Prince Edward Islanders
at the briefing
the premier yells out
FU Covid ...
the lockdown lifted
under spring sunshine
PoemHunter, May 6 2020
FYI: The P.E.I. premier, who threw his f-bomb at the invisible enemy, Covid19, three days ago, now becomes a folk hero. And these FU Covid T-shorts are the hottest commodities on this tiny island. The premier's "cheap shot" is good for business.
FYI: The P.E.I. premier, who threw his f-bomb at the invisible enemy, Covid19, three days ago, now becomes a folk hero. And these FU Covid T-shorts are the hottest commodities on this tiny island. The premier's "cheap shot" is good for business.
Fiftieth Entry
two lion statues
at a Buddhist temple
bloodily defaced
with a sledgehammer ...
gathering dark in Montreal
FYI: Sixty per cent of all Canadian deaths linked to COVID-19 have occurred in Quebec, including more than one-third in Montreal alone.
Fifty-First Entry
Divided States of America
Divided States of America
Reopen New York
one Trump fan hugs another
tight ... and tighter
business as usual
giant Stars-and-Stripes flapping
business as usual
giant Stars-and-Stripes flapping
over a salon
NeverEnding Story, May 9 2020
FYI: The epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. is in New York, and is particularly concentrated in the New York City region. And these is a continuing series of violations of Covid19 restrictions across the US.
Fifty-Second Entry
Repetition
for Søren Kierkegaard who called his melancholy “the most faithful mistress I have known."
death toll rising...
in illness and in fear
alone
with my drunken shadow
apart together
quarantined for weeks
with my drunken shadow
in the attic
I tanka-barricade the door
to my mistress's chamber
in dim light
my quarantined mind races
back and forth
between the old and new normal:
this world of masked faces
Fifty-Third Entry
Fifty-Fourth Entry
May snowfall
NeverEnding Story, May 9 2020
FYI: The epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. is in New York, and is particularly concentrated in the New York City region. And these is a continuing series of violations of Covid19 restrictions across the US.
Fifty-Second Entry
Repetition
for Søren Kierkegaard who called his melancholy “the most faithful mistress I have known."
death toll rising...
in illness and in fear
alone
with my drunken shadow
apart together
quarantined for weeks
with my drunken shadow
in the attic
I tanka-barricade the door
to my mistress's chamber
in dim light
my quarantined mind races
back and forth
between the old and new normal:
this world of masked faces
Fifty-Third Entry
snowflakes swirl
in the mid-May air
a bear hug
from my eighty-year-old mom
an ocean awayFifty-Fourth Entry
May snowfall
in Upstate New York
two golfers
hit one ball after another
harder and farther
FYI: The epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. is in New York, and is particularly concentrated in the New York City region.
Fifty-Fifth Entry
three rows
three rows
of fifth-grade students
smiling
at their grey-haired teacher
behind a face shield
Fifty-Sixth Entry
Back to School
a boy washes his hands
over and over ...
PoemHunter, May 13 2020
Fifty-Seventh Entry
sleeping while Black
an EMT shot dead
by police
PoemHunter, May 14 2020
FYI: Yahoo! News, May 13: Sleeping while black: Family seeks justice for Breonna Taylor, killed in her bedroom by police
Fifty-Eighth Entry
PoemHunter, May 13 2020
Fifty-Seventh Entry
sleeping while Black
an EMT shot dead
by police
PoemHunter, May 14 2020
FYI: Yahoo! News, May 13: Sleeping while black: Family seeks justice for Breonna Taylor, killed in her bedroom by police
Fifty-Eighth Entry
Talk the Talk
To Justin Trudeau who addressed the House of Commons on saving the elderly from coronavirus on April 11, saying, They fought for us all those years ago. And today we fight for them. We will show ourselves to be worthy of this magnificent country they built.
To Justin Trudeau who addressed the House of Commons on saving the elderly from coronavirus on April 11, saying, They fought for us all those years ago. And today we fight for them. We will show ourselves to be worthy of this magnificent country they built.
at the briefing
the photogenic PM's mouth
opens and closes ...
a nursing home silhouetted
against the sunset sky
forty more deaths
slides across the bottom
of the screen ...
a nurse's voice falters,
this elder genocide
NeverEnding Story, May 15 2020
FYI: The Globe and Mail April 13 report, "Outbreaks at seniors’ homes linked to almost half of COVID-19 deaths in Canada, Theresa tam says." Toronto Star May 7 report, "82% of Canada’s COVID-19 deaths have been in long-term care, new data reveals." And for more information, see Russell Richer's National Observer May 15 opinion piece, COVID-19: Chronology of the Long-Term Care Tragedy.
FYI: The Globe and Mail April 13 report, "Outbreaks at seniors’ homes linked to almost half of COVID-19 deaths in Canada, Theresa tam says." Toronto Star May 7 report, "82% of Canada’s COVID-19 deaths have been in long-term care, new data reveals." And for more information, see Russell Richer's National Observer May 15 opinion piece, COVID-19: Chronology of the Long-Term Care Tragedy.
Fifty-Ninth Entry
gathering dark
she touches her father's face
behind the glass door
behind the glass door
Sixtieth Entry
stay at home
no pot and smokes sold here...
this small Reserve
encircled by red dots
on the Covid-19 map
Sixty-First Entry
punched in the face
and knocked down to the ground
a Haida man
is told to Go back to China
while walking in Vancouver
PoemHunter, May 17 2020
FYI: Haida are a nation and ethnic group native to Haida Gwaii, an archipelago located off the west coast of Canada.
Sixty-Second Entry
business as usual :-)
in the cafe dressed-up dummies
sit beside me
PoemHunter, May 18 2020
Sixty-Third Entry
the glint
of a butcher knife
lifted high ...
Delhi street kids stare
at pork dripping
Sixty-Fourth Entry
a food bank lineup
curls around the street corner
the silence
of my friend looking at the ground
and me staring at the sky
PoemHunter, May 19 2020
Songs of Comfort
echoing against this wall
of ghostly shadows ...
note by note my heart reopens
to this infected world
FYI: For more about Yo-Yo Ma's Songs of Comfort, see PBS's Arts and Culture, "Yo-Yo Ma on encouraging 'Songs of Comfort' amid global crisis."
Sixty-Sixth Entry
Sixty-Fifth Entry, for Yo-Yo Ma, renowned and beloved Taiwanese American cellist
Songs of Comfort
echoing against this wall
of ghostly shadows ...
note by note my heart reopens
to this infected world
FYI: For more about Yo-Yo Ma's Songs of Comfort, see PBS's Arts and Culture, "Yo-Yo Ma on encouraging 'Songs of Comfort' amid global crisis."
Sixty-Sixth Entry
a street apart
in the morning chill
a mask-free Trump fan
and a masked Trump foe
air-quote each other
Sixty-Seventh Entry
locked down
in his iron castle
she counts the days
until the vaccine is ready
Sixty-Eighth Entry
new death toll ...
our heart-shaped couches
six feet apart
our heart-shaped couches
six feet apart
Sixty-Ninth Entry, written on Memorial Day
a masked old man
raises a quivering hand
to his forehead
gravestones, row on row,
stretch to the horizon
Seventieth Entry
Jesus is the Cure ...
a protester half-covered
by the Stars and Stripes
Seventy-First Entry, written on the first night out for dinner after easing lockdown
gathering darkness
around each one of us
a bottle of wine
pushes me against this glass wall
of infectious silence
Seventy-Second Entry
a hu-hundred
th-thousand deaths ...
his husky voice
echoes in a room
of the nursing home
th-thousand deaths ...
his husky voice
echoes in a room
of the nursing home
PoemHunter, May 29 2020
Tiananmen Square
Seventy-Third Entry
Tiananmen Square
masked soldiers goose-stepping
in summerlike heat
PoemHunter, May 31 2020
Seventy-Fourth Entry
PoemHunter, June 1 2020
Seventy-Fifth Entry
Seventy-Fourth Entry
a lamppost
silhouetted against the sunset
Rent Strike Now
silhouetted against the sunset
Rent Strike Now
Seventy-Fifth Entry
in scorching heat
the prime minister takes a knee
at the protest
a masked black girl yelling out
Trudeau, stand up to Trump
Note: This tanka is a sequel to the following haiku, which was written in response to Justin Trudeau's response to Donald Trump's vow to dominate the streets by calling in military
21-second silence
photogenic PM mutters
we all watch...
NeverEnding Story, June 3 2020
Seventy-Sixth Entry
PoemHunter, June 8 202
Dear Customers: If you FEEL (not think) that you need to wear a mask, please stay home until you FEEL that it is safe to be out in public without one. No Mask Allowed.
NeverEnding Story, June 3 2020
Seventy-Sixth Entry
lockdown easing
behind the chain-linked fence
rows of airplanes
behind the chain-linked fence
rows of airplanes
Seventy-Seventh Entry
quarantined
for two more weeks
in the attic
we're all alone together:
me, my shadow and my echo
Seventy-Eighth Entry
how long
before we can ___ again?
this blank space
growing wider and higher
into a glass wall of longing
Seventy-Ninth Entry
Is to mask or not to mask your question?
Is to mask or not to mask your question?
A notice posted on the large window at the entrance to American Beauty Salon reads:
Dear Customers: If you FEEL (not think) that you need to wear a mask, please stay home until you FEEL that it is safe to be out in public without one. No Mask Allowed.
business as usual ...
a masked woman mutters
to herself
NeverEnding Story, June 2020
Note: The seventy-ninth entry is a sequel to the fifty-first entry:
NeverEnding Story, May 9, 2020
NeverEnding Story, June 2020
Note: The seventy-ninth entry is a sequel to the fifty-first entry:
business as usual
giant Stars-and-Stripes flapping
over a salon
NeverEnding Story, May 9, 2020
Eightieth Entry
fallen stars ...
a tired nurse murmuring
this large number
of faceless, nameless
Covid19 deaths
Note:The eightieth entry is a sequel to the fifty-eighth entry:
Talk the Talk
To Justin Trudeau who addressed the House of Commons on saving the elderly from coronavirus on April 11, saying, They fought for us all those years ago. And today we fight for them. We will show ourselves to be worthy of this magnificent country they built.
To Justin Trudeau who addressed the House of Commons on saving the elderly from coronavirus on April 11, saying, They fought for us all those years ago. And today we fight for them. We will show ourselves to be worthy of this magnificent country they built.
at the briefing
the photogenic PM's mouth
opens and closes ...
a nursing home silhouetted
against the sunset sky
forty more deaths
slides across the bottom
of the screen ...
a nurse's voice falters,
this elder genocide
NeverEnding Story, May 15 2020
FYI: The Globe and Mail April 13 report, "Outbreaks at seniors’ homes linked to almost half of COVID-19 deaths in Canada, Theresa tam says." Toronto Star May 7 report, "82% of Canada’s COVID-19 deaths have been in long-term care, new data reveals." And for more information, see Russell Richer's National Observer May 15 opinion piece, COVID-19: Chronology of the Long-Term Care Tragedy.
FYI: The Globe and Mail April 13 report, "Outbreaks at seniors’ homes linked to almost half of COVID-19 deaths in Canada, Theresa tam says." Toronto Star May 7 report, "82% of Canada’s COVID-19 deaths have been in long-term care, new data reveals." And for more information, see Russell Richer's National Observer May 15 opinion piece, COVID-19: Chronology of the Long-Term Care Tragedy.
Eighty-First Entry
sheltered for months ...
in the slanted sunlight
with my old beagle
and a pair of caged wrens
warbling to each other
PoemHunter, June 17 2020
Note: The eighty-second entry is a sequel to the eightieth entry:
Eighty-Second Entry
the rainstorm sky
in her grandmother's eyes
nursing home window
in her grandmother's eyes
nursing home window
Note: The eighty-second entry is a sequel to the eightieth entry:
fallen stars ...
a tired nurse murmuring
this large number
of faceless, nameless
Covid19 deaths
Eighty-Third Entry
Quiet, all alone
on the edge of this quarantined world, 120 square feet of attic space
on the edge of this quarantined world, 120 square feet of attic space
yet again, I try
to wipe my drunken shadow
off the wall
but can't erase this shadow
of an infected mind
Note: The eighty-third entry is a sequel to the seventy-seventh entry:
quarantined
for two more weeks
in the attic
we're all alone together:
me, my shadow and my echo
PoemHunter. June 10 2020
Eighty-Fourth Entry, about the aftermath of overnight beach parties
the sun obscured
by a blackbellied cloud
the lineup
for covid19 testing
grows longer and snakier
Note: The eighty-fourth entry is a sequel to the forty-first entry:
death toll rising
in California sunshine
thousands flock to beaches
PoemHunter, April 29 2020
Eighty-Fifth Entry
lockdown lifted ...
morning sunlight slips
through a crack
in the blinds between me
and the world of masked faces
PoemHunter, June 27 2020
Eighty-Sixth Entry
10M mark
the President barefaced
in a campaign crowd
PoemHunter, June 29 2020
Eighty-Seventh Entry
campaign rally
under the scorching sun
one mask-free Trump fan
hugs another
tight ... and tighter
PoemHunter, June 29 2020
Eighty-Ninth Entry
One Hundred Fourth Entry, inspired by The Lincoln Project ad
a desert wall
of 180,000 coffins
on TV
a parade of MAGA fans
chanting build the wall
One Hundred Fifth Entry
a cluster of cases
linked to a house party ...
the glow of my iPad
at the tail-end
of a sleepless night
NeverEnding Story, September 4 2020
one shot
after another ...
at the bottom
of this bottle, a door
One Hundred Seventh Entry, written on the first day of school reopening
Covid-19 Breaking News
a masked woman
undoes the ties
of her red bikini
sliver moon
a masked old man and his dog
me, my dog
and shifting shadows crowded
in this small room ...
on TV the doctors warn
morning chill
stay at home for the nation
with VOTE masks
Eighty-Seventh Entry
campaign rally
under the scorching sun
one mask-free Trump fan
hugs another
tight ... and tighter
PoemHunter, June 29 2020
Eighty-Eighth Entry
campaign rally
at the half-full arena
a barefaced fan
yelling four more years
drops a killer fart
Real News about This Barefaced Lie
Any resemblance to current events or actual locales, or to living persons, is not coincidental.
blinking EXIT
down the hospital hallway
six feet apart
from a line of masked generals
the masked President
In a dimly lit attic room where I shelter my time and my drunken shadow, I doom-scroll for the latest update: New Coronavirus Cases in U.S. Soar Past 68,000, Shattering Record.
Ninetieth Entry, written in response to this troubling Forbes news, July 12, People Are Furious At Disney World For Reopening
PoemHunter, July 13 2020
rows of Americans
Ninety-Third Entry
PoemHunter, July 25 2020
Ninety-Fourth Entry
PoemHunter, August 2 2020
Ninety-Fifth Entry
PoemHunter, August 5 2020
Ninety-Sixth Entry
FYI: With 64% of Canada’s coronavirus deaths, Quebec remains the hardest hit province.
Ninety-Seventh Entry
Ninety-Ninth Entry
One Hundred First Entry
Ninetieth Entry, written in response to this troubling Forbes news, July 12, People Are Furious At Disney World For Reopening
Walt Disney Disease World
scrawled on the billboard
Florida sunshine
Ninety-First Entry
Life and Death amidst a Pandemic
venturing
onto the tree-lined street
for the first time
my old friend sings
to a songbird's melody
the smell
lingers in São Paulo's air
row upon row
of wooden grave markers
waiting for names
Ninety-Second Entry about a cross-border marriage
onto the tree-lined street
for the first time
my old friend sings
to a songbird's melody
the smell
lingers in São Paulo's air
row upon row
of wooden grave markers
waiting for names
Ninety-Second Entry about a cross-border marriage
rows of Americans
and a line of Canadians
along the border fence
in the sunlit breeze
the couple sign I do, I do ...Ninety-Third Entry
Whisky Truth and Manly Lie
this is America
not Communist China
an unmasked man
yells and pulls a gun
on a store manager
it's patriotic
to wear a face mask now
bathed in the spotlight
the President claims
with a twist to his mouth
Ninety-Fourth Entry
Freedom Day:
the end of the pandemic
wave upon wave
of mask-free protesters
crushing toward Berlin
Ninety-Fifth Entry
on their t-shirts
my body, my choice, my life
anti-maskers
and anti-vaxxers
give each other a bear hug
Ninety-Sixth Entry
liberté, Jésus sauve...
thousands of barefaced protesters
snake through Montreal
Ninety-Seventh Entry
possessed
by viral demons for weeks
my old friend
paints the walls black
and covers the windows
FYI: More people calling mental health help line as pandemic drags on: callers dealing with anxiety, family stress, problems with drugs and alcohol (CBC News, July 28)
Ninety-Eighty Entry
Ninety-Eighty Entry
meteor shower
peaking on this night
of the outbreak--
across my skylight
a glimmer of hopeNinety-Ninth Entry
her eyes fixed
on the rain-stained notice
of closure ...
will the ballerina dance
in her heart again?
One-Hundredth Entry
One-Hundredth Entry
a late night call
from his grandmother
this stormy night
splits into before
and after the outbreakOne Hundred First Entry
long lineup
at the new Dim Sum King
a woman
as old as my mother
with a masked smile
this soft voice
of a wrong number ...
I wish
I was the person
who wore a VOTE face mask
One Hundred Third Entry
One Hundred Third Entry
just giving you
a Covid bear hug...
his laughter
echoes in the silence
of Walmart shoppersa desert wall
of 180,000 coffins
on TV
a parade of MAGA fans
chanting build the wall
a cluster of cases
linked to a house party ...
the glow of my iPad
at the tail-end
of a sleepless night
NeverEnding Story, September 4 2020
One Hundred Sixth Entry
one shot
after another ...
at the bottom
of this bottle, a door
to my pre-Covid past
slate-gray clouds
at the end of summer
cluster outbreaks
One Hundred Eighth Entry
covidsomnia ...
covidsomnia ...
on this starless night
I start counting
the number of lies
the President has told
One Hundred Ninth Entry
One Hundred Ninth Entry
Covid-19 Breaking News
Trump nominated
for Nobel Peace Prize
this endless gray ...
FYI: Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by right-wing Norwegian MP for Israel-UAE deal, Matt Mathers, Independent, September 9
One Hundred Tenth Entry
Forever Sunshine
blasting from the radio ...a masked woman
undoes the ties
of her red bikini
One Hundred Eleventh Entry
village pub
a stream of chatter
about masked sex
One Hundred Twelfth Entry
a masked old man and his dog
on the bus stop bench
One Hundred Thirteenth Entry, written after a memorial for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
doomscrolling Trump
lineup the rally
a snaking ahead of
mile-long
One Hundred Fourteenth Entry
the fly buzzing
against a store window --
masked throne speech
One Hundred Fifteenth Entry
at the UN
China and the USA
talk past each other
the new neighbor and I
greet with a footshake
One Hundred Sixteenth Entry
me, my dog
and shifting shadows crowded
in this small room ...
on TV the doctors warn
the virus favors gatherings
the premier yells,
get their brains scanned ...
behind the news
coronavirus turns
carnivorous
get their brains scanned ...
behind the news
coronavirus turns
carnivorous
One Hundred Seventeenth Entry
stay at home for the nation
scrawled on her window
One Hundred Eighteenth Entry
FYI: Trump’s Age, Gender, and Weight All Count Against Him on Coronavirus by Tracy Connor and Olivia Messer, The Daily Beast, October 2
One Hundred Nineteenth Entry
In a viral tweet, a non-military attending physician at Walter Reed, Dr. James P. Phillips, comments, For political theatre, Commanded by Trump to put the lives of [Secret Service agents] at risk ... this is insanity.
barefaced crowds
line streets near the hospital
this chilly afternoon
Covid Show Host in an SUV
is coming to town
One Hundred Twentieth Entry
after vincent tripi who wrote this famous transcendentalist haiku:
with me the same cloud out of the covered bridge
with Trump the same virus out of Marine One
FYI: He soon tweeted a minute-long video from the balcony, saying he'd "learned so much about coronavirus" and believes he might be immune to it. CBS News, October 6
One Hundred Twenty-First Entry
written after Facebook removed Donald Trump's Tuesday post in which he falsely claimed coronavirus can be less deadly than the seasonal flu.
an army of workers
in hazmat suits
cleaning the White House --
at misty twilight the virus
creeps into the Pentagon
FYI: The top U.S. general, Gen. Mark Milley, and several members of the Pentagon's senior leadership are quarantining after a top Coast Guard official tested positive for coronavirus, several US defence officials tell CNN -- CTV News, October 6
One Hundred Twenty-Second Entry
written after this [so-called] most important vice presidential debate (in the time of Coronavirus) in American history
vice presidential debate
two adults argue back and forth
and they even ... smile
One Hundred Twenty-Third Entry
for my heroine, former Chicago teacher and activist Beatrice Lumpkin who voted for her first presidential candidate,Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in 1940 and hasn't missed a vote since.
the President claims
I'm immune from Covid-19 ...
102-year-old
woman in full PPE
casting a mail-in ballot
FYI: Watch CTV's interview with Beatrice Lumpkin who explains why this year’s U.S. presidential election is the “the most important” vote of her lifetime.
One Hundred Twenty-Fourth Entry
The most famous person in the world by far
"'Oh, no, I'm not. I'm the second,' I said. Then my guest leaned toward me and asked, 'Who's more famous?' I replied, (the President pauses for a moment, and a silence reigns over the amphitheater ), 'Jesus Christ.'"
In the North Carolina sunshine, this almost-totally barefaced crowd roars its approval as the President claps his hands, smiling.
piles of Jesus Saves
and Donald Trump Four More Years ...
new surge of cases
FYI: The Hill, October 15: Trump says only Jesus Christ more famous than him
One Hundred Twenty-Fifth Entry
the President claims
we're rounding the turn
at a snail's pace
a miles-long line of cars driving
past the food bank parking lot
FYI: Trump Has Said U.S. Is ‘Rounding The Turn’ On Coronavirus 36 Of The Last 54 Days -- Andrew Solender, Forbes Staff, October 24
One Hundred Twenty-Sixth Entry
this look
of a masked street kid ...
the color
of an autumn sunset
slipping away
One Hundred Twenty-Seventh Entry
written in response to Trump's Monday claim:"news about COVID should be illegal."
Losers!
COVID, COVID, COVID is being used by them, in total coordination, in order to change our great early election numbers. Should be an election law violation, one tweeter bomb explodes, and in the blink of an eye, another attack begins. The Fake News Media is riding COVID, COVID, COVID, all the way to the Election, the President blasts out at full volume.
the White House
spewing red clouds of virus
in my ink-dark dream
if I stare long into this abyss
will it stare back into me?
One Hundred Twenty-Eighth Entry
Covid, Covid, Covid ...
crows on the white roof
cawing back and forth
FYI: Corvid, a bird of the crow family (Corvidae).
One Hundred Twenty-Ninth Entry
written in response to this real news, Oct. 28: The White House’s Office of Science and Technology listed “ending the COVID-19 pandemic” as one of the top accomplishments of the Trump administration’s first term.
Bush stood proudly
under Mission Accomplished
I recall
that lingering smell
of my friend's patriot socks
FYI: The United States has now reached an average of 60,000 daily coronavirus cases, and US logs highest number of Covid cases since pandemic began with 89,000 in a single day, Justin Vallejo, The Independent, October 29
One Hundred Thirtieth Entry
rounding the turn
echoes through the barefaced crowd
on TV --
my African grey parrot screams
Covid, Covid, Covid ...
One Hundred Thirty-First Entry
front porch forum
a row of jack-o-lanternswith VOTE masks
One Hundred Thirty-Second Entry
blue blood moon
between lines of Grim Reapers
spooky distancing
One Hundred Thirty-Third Entry
Hogtown ghost house
under the blue blood moon
a Trump Tower
of giant jack-o-lanterns
with No Party masks
Note: Listen to the Haunted Hogtown (nickname of Toronto): A historian walks us through the city’s spookiest stories podcast
One Hundred Thirty-Fourth Entry
a masked old man
tells the same jokes to the grave
Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos)
One Hundred Thirty-Fifth Entry
row upon row
of small maple flags
in chilly sunshine
a weary face in the window
of the Veterans Center
One Hundred Thirty-Sixth Entry
the surge
of waves and whitecaps ...
more red dots
added to the heat map
of Covid-19
more red dots
added to the heat map
of Covid-19
One Hundred Thirty-Seventh Entry
the border wall
under the El Paso sky
row upon row
of makeshift gray tents
outside the medical center
FYI: El Paso, known for its large military presence anchored by Fort Bliss and Mexico–United States barrier also known as the border wall whose length is 1954 miles (3145 km), "has turned to jail inmates to staff mobile morgues, and local officials say hospitals are nearing a point where they could have to ration care," The Texas Tribune, Nov. 18
One Hundred Thirty-Eighth Entry
another
lockdown announced
as new cases surge --
on the lawyer's desk
a pile of divorce files
One Hundred Thirty-Ninth Entry
at false dawn
a double-shift nurse murmurs
to another ...
just like Dawn of the Dead
only the credits never roll
FYI: The Dis/United States of America topped 12 million cases of Covid19 yesterday
One Hundred Fortieth Entry for Torotonians
snow on snow ...
the weight of another
lockdown
FYI: Toronto is now in lockdown, another record high for Ontario Covid-19 (CityNews Nov. 23), and Toronto was hit with a record-setting 19.4 cm snowfall last night (CityNews, Nov. 23)
One Hundred Forty-First Entry
rules for Thanksgiving
barefaced men wave brand new copies
of 1984
FYI: ABC News, Nov. 18: As pandemic surges, Trump White House calls Thanksgiving restrictions 'Orwellian' and Reuters, Nov. 23: Millions travel for Thanksgiving despite warnings.
One Hundred Forty-Second Entry
more restrictions
for Thanksgiving holiday?
bare branches
tapping at the windows
of a nursing home
One Hundred Forty-Third Entry
Black Friday deals
two masked mother-to-be
two masked mother-to-be
compare their bellies
One Hundred Forty-Fourth Entry
commercials
blasting loud on TV ...
my niece
not sure which face mask
to wear on Black Friday
One Hundred Forty-Fifth Entry
row upon row
of masked workers chanting
with fists in the air
we are more than robots
make Amazon pay!
One Hundred Forty-Sixth Entry
Faith Like a Mustard Seed
a 12-foot
monolith in the red-rock desert
appeared then vanished...
I recall the President's words
like a miracle, it'll disappear
the White House
shrouded in a cloud
of ravens
in infectious dreams
I chant, January 20th
FYI: Insider, Nov.29: "The strange, metal monolith recently found in the remote Utah desert has mysteriously vanished" and CNN, Dec. 1: "'It's going to disappear': A timeline of Trump's claims that Covid-19 will vanish."
One Hundred Forty-Seventh Entry
the heat map
turns from red to dark red
in Georgia's sunshine
the President pumps his fist
when the crowd chants, four more years
FYI: The New Yorker, Dec. 4: "Donald Trump, George Wallace, and the Influence of Losers" by Steve Coll
Donald Trump will leave the White House in January, but Trumpism—that amorphous mobilization of nationalism, white nostalgia, and anti-élite grievance, twisted by disinformation—will likely remain a force in American politics for years.
One Hundred Forty-Eighth Entry
autumn deepening
as new cases surge
a lone crow
caws into the dark
on the power line
One Hundred Forty-Ninth Entry
surge upon surge ...
a phalanx of men with "grow up
mask up "sandwich boards
One Hundred Fiftieth Entry
the chainlink fence
between Trump fans and foes
shut up, mask up ...
One Hundred Fifty-First Entry
bubbles of light
float in my quarantined mind
Hanukkah dream
FYI: Hanukkah, an eight-day winter festival of lights, is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, traditional foods, games and gifts. This Jewish festival celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and of spirituality over materiality.
One Hundred Fifty-Second Entry
the
weight
second lockdown
of
snow
on
snow
One Hundred Fifty-Third Entry
moonlight through clouds
Covid-19 breaking news
on mute
One Hundred Fifty-Fourth Entry
an entry, which mysteriously disappeared two months ago and was discovered early this morning by my drunken Muse 😁, written for a History-Making Loser, Donald Trump
the Press Secretary
responding to questions ...
the Energizer bunny
thumps its relentless drum
across the screen of my mind
After his three-night hospital stay, the President removes his face mask upon arrival at a White House balcony. He waves, gives a thumbs-up and poses for pictures. He then turns to walk inside, the mask still in his pocket.
The cover of Time magazine features the red clouds of coronavirus spewing from the White House, now the center of an outbreak. These thick clouds even obscure the Time logo.
FYI: CBC News, Dec. 15: No one has lost quite like Donald Trump in nearly 150 years
One Hundred Fifty-Fifth Entry, written in response to CovidiotInChief Donald Trump's remark:It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear. February 27, 2020
the first shot
in grandpa's arm ...
all day long
rubbing prayer beads
grandma recites the Heart Sutra
One Hundred Fifty-Sixth Entry, inspired by the "largest protests in human history"
Dilli Chalo
echoing through the market ...
a farm boy
rides his masked father's shoulders
with his fist raised high
FYI: "Dilli Chalo" means "Let’s go to Delhi"
One Hundred Fifty-Seventh Entry
case numbers
and deaths spiking upward ...
the President
hunkers down in the man cave
of the Oval Office
One Hundred Fifty-Eighth Entry
Today's Daily Bread: First Isolation, 12:20 - 1:3
In front of a wall of giant maple leaf flags, the silver-haired retired general, who will be heading up the province's vaccine distribution task force, pauses for a while, takes a close look around the conference room, and finally rests his eyes on the youngest reporter. Then he speaks in a low, firm tone,
"People are tired and some of them even say, 'Oh, my goodness! we can't carry on.' Well, guess what --each and every one of you can! Please remember this: it is not the first time in our history that we have faced these seemingly insurmountable challenges and gotten through. Our grandfathers could storm the 50-mile stretch of Normandy coast three-quarters of a century ago. Today, we definitely can stay at home, away from everybody else for just two more weeks."
no body
loves holiday gatherings
more than covid ...
I murmur to myself
and my beagle on the couch
One Hundred Fifty-Ninth Entry
like E.T.
he puts forth his finger
to touch my son's ...
the maskless mall Santa
inside the giant snow globe
One Hundred Sixtieth Entry, written in response to Donald Trump's conspiracy theorist Sidney Powell pick for special counsel investigating voter fraud, The Guardian, Dec. 19
Donald Trump
dragged kicking and screaming
out of the White House
a mask-free Santa Claus
in my Christmas dream
One Hundred Sixty-First Entry
under the mistletoe
we air-kiss each other
Christmas moonlight
One Hundred Sixty-Second Entry
air passengers
crammed shoulder-to-shoulder
in screening lines
everybody loves holidays
especially the virus
One Hundred Sixty-Third Entry
grandma
feels a jab of pain
in her arm ...
grandpa whispers to her
everything will be fine
One Hundred Sixty-Fourth Entry
domino pieces
patterned in a shape
of covid-19 ...
this one-year-old dream never dies,
just the old dreamer
One Hundred Sixty-Fifth Entry
on Brexit Day
snow with brief sleet ... (note: Today's weather in London)
a masked old man
holding freedom
in his bony hand
One Hundred Sixty-Sixth Entry
New Year's deals
Covid-19 for Dummies
at 50% off
One Hundred Sixty-Seventh Entry
quarantining
this world of masked faces
into five lines ...
I throw a stone of words
across the river of no return
One Hundred Sixty-Eighth Entry
WE ARE ALL
inthistogether --
one by one
politicians like red bats
fly south in winter darkness
FYI: The red bat, an example of a "long distance migrant," can fly over 600 miles to its winter destination. And to the best of this covidholic's knowledge, Canada, a country with the highest rate of long term care deaths, has the most number of shameless highest-ranking politicians (Federal MPs, Senators and provincial MPPs) "caught" travelling over holidays. For more information, read Here’s A [Growing] List Of Canadian Politicians Caught Travelling Over Holidays, Huffingtonpost, "Politics," Jan. 3
One Hundred Sixty-Ninth Entry
for covidsomnia
this cold night offers me help
unsolicited:
a talking raven and the man
in the Oval Office
One Hundred Seventieth Entry
barefaced mob
chanting, U-S-A! U-S-A! ...
politicians
cower under their desks
donning gas masks
One Hundred Seventy-First Entry
Overdose Death
on the covers of black coffins ...
row upon row
of masked young men and women
in a memorial march
One Hundred Seventy-Second Entry
the wail of sirens
slicing through this winter night
100 M ...
One Hundred Seventy-Third Entry
a bead of sweat
trickling down her face
the masked nurse
gives shot after shot ...
Make America Hug Again
One Hundred Seventy-Fourth Entry
outbreak briefing
the doctor's new strands
of gray hair
One Hundred Seventy-Fifth Entry
sound of ice pellets
against nursing home windows ...
new cases surge
One Hundred Seventy-Sixth Entry
banging and beeping
echo through Myanmar skies ...
masked protestors
chanting drive Evil out
with three-finger salutes
FYI: The three-finger salute, copied from Hong Kong and Thailand pro-democracy activists, originally comes from the Hunger Game films.
One Hundred Seventy-Seventh Entry, written on the eve of the Senate impeachment trial and in response to the "Trumphole dilemma" (Liu-esque equivalent of "alcohol dilemma," coined and copyrighted by this Trumpholic poet)
each word I write
about the Loser-in-Chief
morphs into red spikes ...
my quarantined mind mismatched
with the mouth of my Muse
One Hundred Seventy-Eighth Entry, in memory of Gabriel García Márquez
Unlove in the Time of Covid
Valentine's Day,
it is what it is ...
the smell of snow
dark chocolate
melting in her mouth then mine
afternoon trance
two meters
between our masked faces
a snowdrift at night
One Hundred Seventy-Ninth Entry
first warm day
of this pandemic winter
my niece
sings her song with each slap
of a beaded jump rope
One Hundred Eightieth Entry
a surge of wind
social distance between me
and an unmasked white man
One Hundred Eighty-First Entry
midnight moon
the silence between me
and a masked driver
One Hundred Eighty-Second Entry
written in response to America's half a million Covid deaths
The Toll
"We often hear people described as ordinary Americans. There's nothing ordinary about them." With a moment's pause for reflection, the President continues, "The people we lost were extraordinary. They span generations. Born in America, emigrated to America."
the flags
flying at half-mast
for five days
the White House
lit by candles
Television light flickers on a wrinkled face. "So many of these extraordinary Americans took their final breath alone." His voice is scarcely above a whisper.
the number
on the TV screen
in bold red
he stares into the future
from his nursing home window
One Hundred Eighty-Third Entry
in the clinic
on the edge of my chair
waiting for results
I'm alone, surrounded
by masked men and women
One Hundred Eighty-Fourth Entry
alone
even when I'm not alone ...
in TV's light
a masked patient grasps
for his last breath of faith
One Hundred Eighty-Fifth Entry
One Hundred Eighty-Sixth Entry
bathed in sunlight
an eagle lies motionless
against the sky --
this quarantine life
and yet ...
One Hundred Eighty-Seventh Entry
written in response to the "shecession (she-recession)"
in her eyes
the thousand-yard stare ...
once a manager
now the Commander-In-Chief
with kids fighting in quarantine
One Hundred Eighty-Eighth Entry
written in response to "In Myanmar Protests, Women Are on the Front Lines" (Hannah Beech, The New York Time, March 4)
smoky twilight ...
between a police phalanx
and rows of men
with their three-finger salutes
a masked nun in white
One Hundred Eighty-Ninth Entry
I guess Covidiots love company -- paraphrasing Cynthia Hand
the Idaho sky
darkened by columns of smoke ...
Burn the Mask
One Hundred Ninetieth Entry
third wave coming ...
on TV Spirit-filled protesters
raise their fists
in winter chill, chanting
God is greater than Caesar
One Hundred Ninety-First Entry
at the rally
tens of thousands shout
no more lockdowns ...
flies bouncing around
inside an empty bottle
quarantined
in this beach motel
for two weeks
the seawall of silence
between me and shadows
One Hundred Ninety-Second Entry, written in response to the new report details 'disturbing rise' in anti-Asian hate crimes in Canada, CTV News, March 23
an old Asian man
knocked down by white men
one-day-old headline
replaced by mass-shooting news
as usual, life goes on ...
One Hundred Ninty-Third Entry
more variant cases
the wintry chill
in a raven's call
One Hundred Ninety-Fourth Entry
written in response to this "not-so-shocking" 😠 news: "Canada's COVID-19 case rate now tops U.S. rate," CBC News, April 12
a sharp spike
in covid variant cases ...
at twilight
the slow descent of a kite
severed from its string
One Hundred Ninety-Fifth Entry
the wisps spread
into a bank of dark clouds ...
three-million mark
One Hundred Ninety-Sixfth Entry
thunderclouds
another coffin lowered
into a mass grave
One Hundred Ninety-Seventh Entry
the mournful sounds
of a lone Scottish piper
echo off church walls ...
the masked Queen in black
alone for the first time
FYI: Wilfred Frost, CNBC anchor and son of David Frost, said on Saturday morning that the queen's "bubble" was her husband prior to his death. He added her being alone at his funeral is quite poignant, saying, she will literally "have no shoulder to cry on," "Queen Elizabeth says goodbye to Prince Philip with a note laid on his casket," Today, April 17, 2021
One Hundred Ninety-Eighth Entry
sharp spike in cases ...
through the hallway murmurs
of triage care
One Hundred Ninety-Ninth Entry
snaking lines
outside the testing center
a white man
speaks Chinglish at me
I respond with a smile, connard!
(French, one of the official languages of Canada: asshole!)
Two Hundredth Entry
a rover
searches the Martian dust
for ancient life ...
a masked shelter cook mutes the TV
then starts chopping bags of potatoes
Two Hundred and First Entry, written in response to Chloé Zhao's Oscar award winning movie, Nomadland
I'm just houseless ...
this social distancing
between me
and a masked old woman
with an accent like mine
Two Hundred and Second Entry
the smoke
from row upon row
of funeral pyres
streaking the Delhi skies ...
a stray howls into the night
Two Hundred and Third Entry
zipped body bags
this lingering smell
of monsoon rain
Two Hundred and Fourth Entry
the last breath
escapes their father's lips ...
his masked sons' anger
burns like row upon row of pyres
darkening the Delhi skies
Two Hundred and Fifth Entry
howling
into smoky darkness
stray dogs in Delhi
Two Hundred and Sixth Entry
politicians
talk again among themselves
in gathering dark
Covid won't end anywhere
until it ends everywhere
Two Hundred and Seventh Entry
leafless branches
scratching hospital windows ...
sharp spike in cases
Two Hundred and Eighth Entry
gathering dark
hospital windows shut
against pyre smoke
Two Hundred and Ninth Entry
spiralling
funeral pyre smoke and dust
all week long
the workers enveloped
in their own unrest
Two Hundred and Tenth Entry
a flood of memories
from the black hole of the past ...
three white kids
ride their bikes by me
yelling SARS, SARS
four years of Trump
and four seasons of Covid ...
I take sleeping pills
and curl into a race-blind dream,
the fifth corner of my world
Two Hundred and Eleventieth Entry
written after Biden signed the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act
The "New Yellow Peril"
kung flu ...
on a white man's face
this meaty grin
another old Asian man
knocked to the ground
job growth slows sharply
Go back to China
this voice at the back door
of my quarantined mind
FYI: A Chinese-American civil rights group is suing Trump for $22.9m for calling COVID-19 the 'China Virus' and 'Kung Flu'. That's $1 for each Asian American and Pacific Islander living in the US. Joshua Zitser, Business Insider, May 22, 2021
Two Hundred and Twentieth Entry
jump, jump, jumping
on the backyard trampoline
made in Wuhan ...
now I'm six feet higher
than the white neighbor's fence
Two Hundred and Thirteenth Entry
another
politician breaks the rule ...
we are all
inthistogether
under unseasonal heat
FYI: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh apologizes for breaking COVID-19 rules, Global News, May 27
Two Hundred and Fourteenth Entry
blank squares and cross-outs
on my appointment calendar
shelter-in-place
on my appointment calendar
shelter-in-place
Two Hundred and Fifteenth Entry
a blackbird
splitting the sunset ...
spike in cases
Two Hundred and Sixteenth Entry
one day less
and one day older
at first light
this winter stillness
of my quarantine life
Two Hundred and Seventeenth Entry
this smile
not the one I expected ...
an expanse
of blue in the eyes
of a masked cashier
Two Hundred and Eighteenth Entry
35,000
vaccines hit the landfill
in Detroit ...
under the smoky skies
rows of pyres in Delhi
Two Hundred and Nineteenth Entry
in windy twilight
a blackbird rising, falling ..
this pandemic life
Two Hundred and Twentieth Entry
pink-streaked sky
fades from her bouncy castle
shelter in place
Two Hundred and Twenty-First Entry
stranded whales
seen from my quarantine room
cumulus clouds
seen from my quarantine room
cumulus clouds
Two Hundred and Twenty-Second Entry
no strings attached
to vaccine donations ...
a spiderweb hangs
in the ceiling corner
of a UN-sponsored food bank
Two Hundred and Twenty-Third Entry
sundowning
her masked face pressed against
the nursing home window
Two Hundred and Twenty-Fourth Entry
We'reAll In This T o g e t h e r
the drive-thru speaker
with a note taped over it:
We are closed
because I just quit this job
this thankless low-paying job
with his fist raised high
the manager shouting out
to masked workers
one dollar an hour
pandemic pay hike
Two Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Entry
this speed racing
between Covid variants
and second shots --
UN aid workers stare
at one rickshaw of rice
Two Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Entry, inspired by The New Yorker June 21 article, "What Will Become of the Pandemic Pets?'
one pet fad
after another ...
in TV's light
my robo-dog and I
sink into the loveseat
Two Hundred and Twenty-Seventh Entry
dewdrops of sun
on a bent blade of grass ...
this quarantine life
Two Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Entry
smoky twilight
body after body floating
in the Ganges
FYI: Poverty, stigma behind bodies floating in India’s Ganges River: Villagers along the river say cremation expenses rose during the pandemic, forcing many to immerse or bury the bodies in sand. Saurabh Sharma, Al Jazeera, 2 June 2021 And the latest news, Photos show bodies of COVID victims floating along Ganges River in India,, Yaron Steinbuch, New York Post, June 29
Two Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Entry
words on a banner
We're All In This T o g e t h e r
twisting in the wind ...
in a single text message
one thousand nurses laid off
Two Hundred and Thirtieth Entry
living alone
in this friendly world
of masked faces ...
through a glass barrier
my friend looks deadly quiet
Two Hundred and Thirty-First Entry
new cases surge
a guard social distances further
from the nurse
Two Hundred and Thirty-Second Entry
What has been will be again
after months
of wearing flip-flops
a masked woman
in red high heels
teeters toward the mall
skateboarders
in backward baseball caps
zigzagging
across the downtown square
first day of re-opening
a young dude
with a pack of cold beer
heads for the park
hip-hop songs blasting
at a mask-free crowd
a masked guard
in the breezy twilight
a dozen
line up at the clinic
with the Vax-A-Million sign
FYI: What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.Ecclesiastes, 1:9, NIV
Two Hundred and Thirty-Third Entry
suddenly awake
with my heart beating fast
I hear my cry
in my disheveled wife's cries:
Vax-a-Million winner!
Two Hundred and Thirty-Fourth Entry
quarantined in an attic room
face to face with my inner child
Two Hundred and Thirty-Fifth Entry
a billionaire
blasting off into space ...
a masked old man
turns off the TV and walks
to the soup kitchen line
Two Hundred and Thirty-Sixth Entry
alone for weeks
in a quarantine motel
the sound
of my body rolling
against midnight quietness
Two Hundred and Thirty-Seventh Entry
weeds sprout
through cracks in the pavement ...
breakthrough cases surging
Two Hundred and Thirty-Eighth Entry
first homecoming
all these masked faces
now strangers
Two Hundred and Thirty-Ninth Entry
the bitter sting
of late night black coffee ...
quarantined
for weeks without thoughts
of touching myself
Two Hundred and Fortieth Entry
Grand Re-Opening
bikini-clad mannequins
watch a masked man
Two Hundred and Forty-First Entry
No Mask banners
high above a phalanx
of protesters ...
a masked teen holds his hand
in an L shape near his face
FYI: The hand gesture, widely used by teens, in Ls 4&5 means the Loser.
Two Hundred and Forty-Second Entry
distant sirens
break the predawn stillness
Covidsomnia
Two Hundred and Forty-Third Entry
one crow on the wire now three more variants on the rise
Two Hundred and Forty-Fourth Entry
heat shimmer
a spike-studded virus
branded on my door
Two Hundred and Forty-Fifth Entry
A Fourth Wave Brewing
under the heat dome
face to face with banners
in red and blue:
go back to normal
covid is not over yet
sunlight flooding
through stained glass windows ...
from the rows
of masked congregants
a cough echoes
no mask
no contact tracing
no quarantine ...
a heat mirage on the road
to Build Back Whatever
Two Hundred and Forty-Sixth Entry
heat haze ...
beneath a willow's shade
mud-stained masks
Two Hundred and Forty-Seventh Entry
warehouse gossip
spreading aisle by aisle
new variant
Two Hundred and Forty-Eighth Entry
lockdown lifted
seeing me, the neighbor turns
into a side street
Two Hundred and Forty-Ninth Entry
racism virus ...
at City Square, an Asian man
in a hazmat suit
Two Hundred and Fiftieth Entry
graveyard billboard
put up on Friday, 13th
in neon lights
not vaccinated yet
you may be here soon
Two Hundred and Fifty-First Entry
I trust God
to be my shield and healer
loud and louder ...
holding his cross, a patient stares
at masked doctors and nurses
Two Hundred and Fifty-Second Entry
lockdown lifted
boys and girls rolling downhill
into squeals of laughter
Two Hundred and Fifty-Third Entry
written in response to Canadian snap pandemic election
politicians
crisscrossing from coast to coast
Alpha, Beta, Delta ...
Two Hundred and Fifty-Fourth Entry
inspired by CBS News, August 17: Catholic Cardinal [Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Archbishop Emeritus of St. Louis] who spread vaccine misinformation now on a ventilator battling COVID-19
another
covid skeptic struggles
for his breath ...
cicadas calling loud
and louder in summer heat
Two Hundred and Fifty-Fifth Entry
bedside candles
light the silence of her room
new surge in cases
Two Hundred and Fifty-Sixfth Entry
a clot of shoppers
arguing in the hallway
vaccine pass check
Two Hundred and Fifty-Seventh Entry
breakthrough cases surge
sheltered in my attic room
I feel safe ... for now
Two Hundred and Fifty-Eighth Entry
Zoom therapist's forehead lines
deepening ...
and mine too (I think)
Two Hundred and Fifty-Nineth Entry
lockdown lifted
children's laughter circling
grandpa's farm house
Two Hundred and Sixtieth Entry
quarantined
in a cheap motel room ...
new variant
added to her list of complaints
about her husband
Two Hundred and Sixty-First Entry
quarantined
for another two weeks
on the loveseat
my first kiss
from the old beagle
Two Hundred and Sixty-Second Entry
window shopping
a new line
of masked mannequins
Two Hundred and Sixty-Third Entry
Snap Pandemic Election
six feet apart
and their minds miles away
from each other
five smiling party leaders
shout, get your shot
question after question
answered with talking points
my parrot babbles
in the unseasonal heat
we'reallthistogether
thumbs up
from the photogenic PM
forward, for everyone --
a masked gig worker
gives him the finger
nightly barks
penetrate the thin wall
of my room
build back better blasting
from my neighbor's tv
same old, same old?
I stare in the mirror
on election eve
wondering if I can flatten
the curve of my pot belly
campaign signs
along a winding stretch
of highway
on election night
I sink deep into the couch
Two Hundred and Sixty-Fourth Entry
wave upon wave
of new covid variants ...
my world shrinks
to the size of a friend's garage
doubling as my bedroom
Two Hundred and Sixty-Fifth Entry
inspired by recent news stories and headlines in the most vaccine-rich country
driving around
unmasked freedom protesters
on both sides
of a funeral home van
don't get vaccinated
the wife dies
as the husband gets last glimpses
of their newborn ...
stony silence among five kids
of these two anti-vaxxers
1 in 500
Americans have died of Covid
in my quarantined mind
red letters of the headline
morph into waves of viruses
you, fucking Chinese
don’t fucking get me sick ...
the sultry air
explodes with cluster f-bombs
as onlookers come and go
Two Hundred and Sixty-Sixth Entry
Fridays for Future strike
she puts a Green New Deal mask
on her daughter's face
Two Hundred and Sixty-Seventh Entry
chemistry (tubes) between lab partners
with masks under their chins
Two Hundred and Sixty-Eighth Entry
quarantined mind
the sound of one hand washing
over and over
Two Hundred and Sixty-Ninth Entry
jolted awake
by a recurring nightmare:
my body floats
in a world of styrofoam balls
dotted with red spikes
Two Hundred and Seventieth Entry
a sudden rise
in breakthrough cases ...
hush of leaf fall
Two Hundred and Seventy-First Entry
a long line
at the checkout counter
as sunlight slants in
the masked cashier smiles
with her hazel eyes
Two Hundred and Seventy-Second Entry
Thanksgiving buffet
dining tables six feet apart
under the same roof
Two Hundred and Seventy-Third Entry
police station banner waving
we are still smiling under our masks
Two Hundred and Seventy-Fourth Entry
the masked teacher's dry cough
classroom silence deepens
Two Hundred and Seventy-Fifth Entry
maternity ward
the masked husband answers
with silence
Two Hundred and Seventy-Sixth Entry
I was the first one
but I don't want to be
the last ...
a masked woman looks back
at the sky smoky in Kabul
Two Hundred and Seventy-Seventh Entry
Orthodox graveyard
silhouettedinthemist
wavesofgrief
crashingintowaves
into Covid reality
Two Hundred and Seventy-Eighth Entry
written on Halloween Eve
gathering dark
the masked Grim Reaper's eyeballs
bulge out of his skull
Two Hundred and Seventy-Ninth Entry
prolonged quarantine
the sound of midnight
rough sex next door
Two Hundred and Eightieth Entry
Halloween: Behind The Mask
dripping blood
from my front door banner:
no trick or treat
hazy streetlight
teen vampires kissing
with masks under their chins
more hotspots
added to the Covid heat map
déjà vu nightmare
Two Hundred and Eighty-First Entry
the click of a fan
in my quarantine room ...
breakthrough cases surge
Two Hundred and Eighty-Second Entry
5 million deaths ...
at the end of the G20 Summit
masked leaders
toss coins over their shoulders
into the Trevi Fountain
Two Hundred and Eighty-Third Entry
the long gaze
of a masked policeman
a black hooded teen
Two Hundred and Eighty-Fourth Entry
variants of concern ...
I dip my immigrant life
in formalin
encase it in this room
of 20-square-meter freedom
Two Hundred and Eighty-Fifth Entry
singing and dancing
around a covid gravesite ...
a circle of women
with their faces covered
in white powder
Two Hundred and Eighty-Sixth Entry
awake alone
this face in the motel mirror ...
prolonged quarantine
Two Hundred and Eighty-Seventh Entry
Journey into the Long Night
winter rain
darkens the soil
covid burial
slate-grey skies
the young widow's sobs
break through her mask
the way home
early nightfall turns
to snow
Two Hundred and Eighty-Eighth Entry
midlife crisis
the therapist's mask
softens his tone
Two Hundred and Eighty-Ninth Entry
one pandemic pet
comes to me after another ...
we are all
inthistogether on the couch
to watch day's end in silence
Two Hundred and Ninetieth Entry
written in response to CNBC's breaking news, Nov. 26: WHO calls special meeting to discuss new Covid variant found in South Africa with "a large number of mutations."
new variant
the worst we've seen so far ...
muting the TV
a shelter cook starts chopping
as early nightfall turns to snow
Two Hundred and Ninety-First Entry
watching my toddler
watching a fly climb the wall ...
prolonged lockdown
Two Hundred and Ninety-Second Entry
Omi
cron
J e s u s
a
v
e
s
Two Hundred and Ninety-Third Entry
my friend claims
omicron, just a scariant
made by Big Pharma ...
between our hearts and minds
this maze of distance
Two Hundred and Ninety-Fourth Entry
face to face
with the Zoom therapist
for fifty minutes
I chitchat, I joke and I smile
with the mask of a stranger
Two Hundred and Ninety-Fifth Entry
alone face to face
with winter night shadows
omicron surge
Two Hundred and Ninety-Sixth Entry
Merry (Omicron) Christmas
a pile of gifts
under the mistletoe
we air-kiss
the masked smile
of triple-vaxxed Grandma
Joy to the World ...
Two Hundred and Ninety-Seventh Entry
a sandwich man
at a corner of the mall
singing loudly
the pandemic isn't over
even though you're over it
FYI: A sandwich man is a person who wears a sandwich board. The human billboard is the cheapest and sometimes most effective/personalized walking advertisement.
Two Hundred and Ninety-Eighth Entry
Boxing Day Deals
in the mall a busker singing
jingle jabs, jingle jabs ...
Two Hundred and Ninety-Ninth Entry
Trump's praise of vaccine
booed, booed, booed by MAGA fans ...
omicron surge
Three Hundredth Entry
curbside pickup
of dinner for one
a stray's stare
Three Hundred and First Entry
vaccine shopping
from one pharmacy
to another ...
the schools move online
as parents, Omicron rage
Three Hundred and Second Entry
a polar station
wrapped in snow light
omicron surge
Three Hundred and Third Entry
omicron
surge
snow
on
snow
on
homeless shelter
Three Hundred and Fourth Entry
learning Greek letters ...
another variant emerges
as rain turns to ice
Three Hundred and Fifth Entry
on a power line
the corvid's caw caw cawing ...
omicron winter
Three Hundred and Sixth Entry
murder
upon murder
of corvids
descend in gathering dark ...
the unvaxxed and omicron rage
Three Hundred and Seventh Entry
The Truth North Strong and Free!
a cacophony
of wing flutters and caws
crows in gathering dark
storm clouds roll in
amid lightning strikes
omicron rage
freedom convoy trucks
from coast to coast
new variant emerging
Three Hundred and Eighth Entry
freedom convoy trucks
snake past Parliament Hill
with his mouth open
a white-haired man staring
at truckers with yellow stars
Three Hundred and Ninth Entry
one variant
after another …
the caw-caw-caw
throughout the night
of winter crows
Three Hundred and Tenth Entry
this unvaxxed patient
grasps my hand, mumbling
about death ...
exhausted, I only think
of the patients next door
Three Hundred and Eleventh Entry
social distancing across this endless blue a pair of hang-gliders
Three Hundred and Twelfth Entry
time to learn
to live with Covid-19
on the news ticker ...
a nurse turns off the TV
and starts her midnight rounds
Three Hundred and Thirteenth Entry
subvariants rise ...
in a waiting room chair
ten hours of winter
Three Hundred and Fourteenth Entry
news of variants
outpacing my flight
winter gusts
Three Hundred and Fifteenth Entry
"freedom" truckers
steeped in TrumpTalk
echo slogans --
arms linked, young women chant
make Canada boring again!
Three Hundred and Sixteenth Entry
long Covid
the smoker's voice rasps
everything’s just fine
Three Hundred and Seventeenth Entry
stealth omicron ...
I tune up the volume
of Lennon's imagine
Three Hundred and Eighteenth Entry
shelter in place
I count strays passing
beneath the window
Three Hundred and Nineteenth Entry
a great loss
when only one man dies
of covid
but millions is just a number ...
this twist to my doctor's mouth
NeverEnding Story, March 11, 2022
Three Hundred and Twentieth Entry
does it matter
to mask or not to mask ?
in dim light
Ukrainians crammed
into a bomb shelter
NeverEnding Story, March 11, 2022
Three Hundred and Twenty-First Entry
quarantine room
shifting shadows of me
togetheralone
NeverEnding Story, March 13 2022
Three Hundred and Twenty-Second Entry
St. Patrick's Day
the warmth
of unmasked hellos
Three Hundred and Twenty-Third Entry
my sex drive
on and off in lockdown ...
spotty showers
Three Hundred and Twenty-Fourth Entry
green shoots
on an oak stump ...
lockdown lifted
Three Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Entry
unmasked hellos
and laughter at the mall ...
I click off the news
and doomsurf
with my drunken shadow
Three Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Entry
sticker shock
at the grocery store
deafness
like stealth omicron passing
among unmasked politicians
... to be continued
