plaguepoems

plaguepoems, 5 days ago to random

I wish I knew
how to convince you
that you should care
about the cattle
with avian influenza
that were slaughtered
but I don’t even know
how to convince you
that you should care
when human beings
are being slaughtered.

plaguepoems, 5 days ago to random

I’ve heard it said
(by a prominent doctor)
that this pandemic
“did not have to be
as bad as it was,”
and they are right
it did not have to be
as bad as it was,
though I would add
it does not have to be
as bad as it still is.

The 220th week collected:

https://librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2024/06/07/plague-poems-the-two-hundred-and-twentieth-week/

plaguepoems, 5 days ago to random

When it comes to disguising a face
a new study shows
that sunglasses
are more effective than
a medical mask,
but you need not worry
about attempts to ban sunglasses
no one wants to stop you
from trying to look cool
they only want to stop you
from looking out for other people.

plaguepoems, 6 days ago to random

You are right, I agree,
masks can be uncomfortable
but I have experienced
the horrid discomfort
that this virus can cause
so if given the choice between
an uncomfortable mask
and an uncomfortable virus
I will choose the mask.

plaguepoems, 6 days ago to random

I asked my cousin
if her husband was feeling better
but she couldn’t remember
what she had told me
was it the pink eye?
or the summer cold?
was it the flu case?
or the walking pneumonia?
“we’re always all fucked up”
she said, and all I could say
was: I hope he feels better soon.

plaguepoems, 6 days ago to random

If they say
only the chickens get sick
warn them:
not to count their eggs
before they hatch.

If they say
only the cattle get sick
warn them:
if you mess with the bull
you get the horns.

If they say
only the mice get sick
warn them:
the best laid plans
of mice and men go awry.

plaguepoems, 6 days ago to random

Forgive me, I do not mean
to romanticize the past
but, I must admit, I miss the days
when “summer wave”
denoted a trip to the beach
and not the latest variant.

plaguepoems, 7 days ago to random

It was always inaccurate
to say of the current pandemic
that people are dying
like medieval peasants
for the current pandemic
is not rodent-borne,
but now that avian influenza
has been detected in mice
I fear we may yet get the chance
to die like medieval peasants.

plaguepoems, 7 days ago to random

He tells me he isn’t worried
about another pandemic
after all, he’s survived one pandemic
so he’s confident
he can survive another one
and I can’t decide
whether to remind him
of those who did not survive
or to remind him
that he hasn’t finished surviving
the current one yet.

plaguepoems, 7 days ago to random

Please, do not panic
in response to the news
that a person in Mexico
has died of H5N2
for there are many things
there are many vital things
that we still do not know,
unfortunately, at this point,
that we lack the cohesion
to weather another pandemic
is something we do know.

plaguepoems, 7 days ago to random

I asked my aunt, the doctor,
about the research
saying the "virus
that causes COVID-19
can remain in sperm
for 110 days after infection”
so those “who plan to have children
should observe
a period of 'quarantine'
after recovering”
and she simply replied:
that’s bad fucking news.

plaguepoems, 8 days ago to random

Speaking of the effort
to stop the spread of H5N1
the official stated
“We are trying
to essentially corner the virus”
isolating it in infected herds
until it dissipates,
and though I hope this works
I keep seeing headlines
about how this virus
isn’t isolated to infected herds.

plaguepoems, 8 days ago to random

It is not so much
that everyone has forgotten
how COVID harms people
and how COVID kills people
as that we tell ourselves
and keep telling ourselves
that COVID harms other people.
and that COVID kills other people
while forgetting that we
are the other people
of someone else.

plaguepoems, 8 days ago to random

I have heard that house mice
have contracted avian influenza
and while I know
the risk to humans
remains low
I will admit I am quite concerned
for you see
I haven’t known many people
with cows or chickens
but I’ve known many people
who’ve found mice in their homes.

plaguepoems, 8 days ago to random

A “massive outbreak”
of avian influenza
amongst elephant seals
(in Peninsula Valdes, Argentina)
is seen as increased evidence
that transmission can occur
from mammal-to-mammal
and though this does not mean
mammal-to-human
or human-to-human
it doesn’t mean
that everything is fine.

plaguepoems, 9 days ago to random

Take the good news
when you can get it,
the CDC data
shows cases and deaths
are currently low
so allow yourself
some guarded hope,
you must take the good news
when you can get it,
for soon you’ll remember
that since May
hospitals no longer need
to report COVID data to the CDC.

plaguepoems, 9 days ago to random

When they tell you
(and they will tell you)
that trying to protect yourself
is just a waste of time
politely explain
that the wastewater data
from several states
shows virus concentrations
are again on the rise
and you don’t want to add
to that waste at this time.

plaguepoems, 9 days ago to random

My brother-in-law
sent me an opinion piece
(from the paper of record)
offering five points
purportedly showing
how the pandemic
started in a laboratory,
so I asked him
what steps he was taking
to protect himself
from this lab escapee,
and I could tell
he did not like my question

plaguepoems, 9 days ago to random

Citing recent studies
pointing to a link
between the virus
and cognitive decline
the headline stated
“COVID-19 will make you
stupid”
and while the danger
of cognitive decline is serious
I am more concerned
with how this pandemic
has made so many of us
cruel.

plaguepoems, 10 days ago to random

Be careful with your words
if you throw around
a term like “disaster”
people will just accuse you
of crying wolf
please, be careful,
don’t say “it’s a disaster”
please, be specific,
say: the Governor of Iowa
had declared a disaster
in Cherokee County
due to an avian flu outbreak.

plaguepoems, 10 days ago to random

Please, do not worry,
though it is behind a mask
I promise you
that I have not forgotten
how to smile
yes, I know, I know,
I need to find joy
but right now I am busy
trying to find my way
through this pandemic.

plaguepoems, 12 days ago to random

Apologies
but polite complacency
will not save you,
stop trying to learn
to live with the virus,
it will only take advantage
of your earnest attempts
to accommodate it
in your daily life,
stop trying to learn
to live with the virus
devote yourself instead
to outliving it.

plaguepoems, 12 days ago to random

My colleague keeps telling me
that always wearing a mask
is bad for my immune system
and though I say nothing
I am tempted to remind him
that of the two of us
I am not the one
who is always getting sick.

A compendium of the 219th week of plague poems…

https://librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2024/05/31/plague-poems-the-two-hundred-and-nineteenth-week/

plaguepoems, 13 days ago to random

When I asked my aunt
the doctor
how worried I should be
about the third case
of a dairy worker contracting
avian influenza
she explained it is important
to understand
that the third case detected
does not mean
there are only three cases,
and I found this to be
a worrisome answer.

plaguepoems, 13 days ago to random

The headline stated
that due to the new variants
“you will catch Covid again”
and though I recognize
that my words
have less reach than a headline
please understand
that it is not that“you will”
but rather that “you might”
so you might as well try
not to catch it.