Life in the Time of Pandemic

Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia

Wildflowers found on a morning walk, photo by Cheryl Batavia

Life in the Time of Pandemic

People are dying
as I walk in the sunshine.
I follow the statistics every day.
Supermarket employees wearing
masks load groceries into my car.
At seventy, with several chronic
diseases, I am vulnerable.
My best contribution to the
general welfare is to stay home.

I watch the news
and witness the chaos:
doctors and nurses working
without adequate protection,
without needed equipment…
working overtime.
Patients in hallways,
bodies in refrigerator trucks.
Waves of infection sweeping
through nursing homes.

Information and misinformation
flooding TV and the internet.
Politicians on the news
pointing fingers, making promises.
Doctors contradicting each other.
Scientists racing to develop
new treatments, and vaccines.
Advertisements for vitamins and
supplements promising immunity.

Heroes sewing masks,
passing out hand sanitizer,
working in food pantries.
Heroes making donations,
delivering medicines and meals,
driving big rigs with little rest,
Survivors donating plasma with
antibodies to treat the sick.

Scallawags and scammers
trying to make a profit
from human misery and fear.
Protesters marching with angry signs,
ignoring social distancing.
They don’t want to stay at home
any longer or wear a mask.
They may not have any symptoms,
but might still be contagious.

Schools closed, students at home
getting education via computers.
Doctors treating patients remotely.
Delivery trucks everywhere,
leaving lifelines on doorsteps.
Families biking and walking in the
sunshine, waving to their neighbors.
Masked musicians on street corners
giving concerts to passersby.

Farmers plowing under crops
they can’t harvest or ship.
Milk dumped, chickens euthanized.
No meat, no eggs, no toilet paper
on grocery store shelves…
Supply chains broken.

Businesses closed,
some of them permanently.
Worst unemployment
since the Great Depression.
Stock markets erratic.
Stimulus funds issued
to fend off economic collapse.

Stores and businesses reopening
while the pandemic rages on.
Some say it’s too soon; new cases will
spike again, more people will die.

Pandora, of ancient myth, ignored
a warning and opened a box,
releasing diseases, destruction, and
misery into an unsuspecting world.
She closed the box…too late!
Then Pandora heard a tiny voice
coming from inside the box.
When she opened the box again…
Hope emerged!

10 Comments

    1. Thank you, Kavitha, for taking the time to read and share your thoughts. ❤ I find myself vastly overusing the word "hope" during the pandemic and the wave of unrest and violence the world is experiencing. And there are signs of hope now. The vaccines could end the pandemic. Changing hearts and minds takes longer. Have a great day! ❤

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  3. You did cover most everything here. My husband and I are still half lockdown. We haven’t gotten together with friends or anything social, nor eaten out. My husband is very high risk, hence, the caution.

    In a happier vein, thanks so much for all the likes on my blog and for visiting. Take care, Cheryl and thank God Robert is okay!!! Stay well, Ellen ❤

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    1. Ellen was my grandmother’s name, and my eldest daughter is named after her, so it is one of my favorite names. My middle name, Elaine, also a nod to my grandmother, has the same meaning as Ellen…light.

      I enjoyed reading about your impressive career and your contributions of your talents for worthy causes.
      I am an animal lover and care very much about environmental causes. I loved your photographs, especially the sheep.

      With regard to the pandemic, I feel that it is very much still going on. Though I am vaccinated and double boosted, I wear my mask at the grocery store when I go. Sometimes I am the only one wearing a mask. We have most of our groceries delivered and stay home a lot of the time. Robert and I had long covid very early on and are both in a high-risk category. Glad you and your husband are being cautious. Take good care of each other! ❤

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  4. Thank you very much, Cheryl. Loved your comment. We have almost everything delivered, too. What a world we are in at the moment!! You take good care of each other, too!! Stay safe!! <3ellen

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  5. So beautiful & interested post for Life time in the pandemic. You did cover all words ,all things & all persons in poem. Excellent written in. I like ❤️

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