Coronavirus? Covid? What is that, a game?

Supposedly the end has come 

It crept up slowly but surely

Unnoticeable until it was too late to stop

Now we lie in wait for an end that may or may not come

With no end in sight, We hope it’s soon done

At first it was the airlines

And then went the events

Soon after schools followed

And then everything was closed

Livelihoods destroyed with no hope to look to

The isolation started with too little, too late

This mistake may seal our fate

And yet still, 

Our government treats this like a race

After an initial refusal, they consulted doctors to save face

An onslaught of death brought on by obstinance

But worry not about that for our economy is in trouble

Some people are affected

Families whole lives change

And yet some people sit around confused and kinda scared

Survivors guilt to all those who were much too much prepared

It’s alright though, 

I’ll put Lysol in my veins

At what point do we say there are things more important than living?

Is a stock portfolio really greater than caregiving?

Shelter in place? 

I already shelter in a place

There is a frown on my face,

I miss the place with all of my friends.

They’re the ones that bring me joy.

Without them, what will I do?

Being forced to isolate makes me feel a little sad

Isolation is now the way of life

No contact with those we love 

It’s much different than it being voluntary

Although I have a way to connect

It feels like I’ve been pushed away

From the very place I was trying to fit in

Animal crossing to replace human interaction

Our social lives reduced to a mere fraction

Longing and yearning for a world just outside

But instead we’re stuck, from the virus we hide

A new boss emerges, the zoomers all fear

For the new schooling system of zoom is now here

It rounds up the children,

And brings them in tight,

And makes sure that they are taught good and right

In 2019, 5 Feet Apart was released

The government now suggests we keep 6​

Is this foreshadowing? Who knows

All I know is there are no more cliques

Pop culture has become too literal,

With the two bros chilling in a hot tub

Six feet apart so they don’t die

And now the joking Tik Toks

About spreading disease round’

Our neighborhoods are an unfortunate reality

As people are still going around

Acting oblivious and thinking irrationally.

Doctors and nurses risking their lives

While some people still can’t manage to stay inside

They claim they’re sad the school year has ended;

Then maybe that sleepover they shouldn’t have attended

Time to reflect on what matters most

To band together with unifying hope

To not let yourself become a host

Not a host of the virus or of friends

To connect in ways no one expected

We connect from afar to not get infected

Distance makes the heart grow fonder

Listlessly staring out the window

Wondering how the others are doing

Wishing to be with them again

Rekindle connections that have been lost

Put fire to bonds colder than frost

The death tolls start rising 

A new definition of community gets put into place

Separate but not alone

Together we are stronger 

So much more time the question is how to spend it

I just don’t want to regret this newfound self-government

How will it be when we are all free?

Will we return to the old or form new communities? 

Will it ever be quite the same?

Will we treasure the time whence we came?

Or cherish a new  kind of culture?

Will we long for the past or cling to the future?

So much uncertainty

Everyone needs to be doing their part

To go back to the way things were, and better.

We may not know what lies ahead

But we have each other and we’ll get through it. 

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By eighth period GT/PAP English II Kaatz class