Yes, it finally snuck into my life. In spite of my diligence for almost 3 years in wearing a mask and gloves in any indoor public space and handwashing/sanitizing until my hands felt raw, the current incarnation of the virus hit me like a fully-loaded truck.
I am grateful to have access to anti-viral medication which I hope will cut the severity of the disease. But getting COVID causes me to observe this: Often, I was the only person masked indoors, the consequences of which are plain for everyone to see. ERs are overloaded as more as more people become very ill.
The lack of concern about how one person’s health can impact on others, particularly those most at risk– the vulnerable very young and the elderly — dominates herd thinking now. That’s more than a shame as it entails big time costs to society and each taxpayer.
Caring about the health of others needs to come back into fashion. Perhaps an influencer can help make that happen.
Here’s a piece from my collection with the working title REAPER, which contains short poems using words drawn from obituary notices and articles in the Toronto Globe and Mail. I hope to find a publisher for it in 2024. I write found poetry under my pseudonym, A. Garnett Weiss.
Best wishes to all for a healthy, happy 2024 and for healing for the world.
Masks
Satisfaction, a familiar face
come alive to teach containment,
relief and hope to the most animated,
although sometimes
at a price.
Sources: Words or phrases drawn unaltered from death notices and obituary articles published in the April 15, 2017 Toronto Globe and Mail.
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