Safe 

By Tiffany Chan

“Please wear a mask and stay six feet apart.”
Numbly we obey, without even a start
At how absurd it is, to wear a cloth on our face
Pretending it protects us from this newfound craze.
But everybody’s safe now.

Robotically we follow the stickers on the ground.
Maintaining our distance without a sound.
“We’re on this COVID-fighting mission,”
Like little kids who need constant supervision.
But everybody’s safe now.

We cancel gatherings, moving to cyberspace.
Video calls and meetings are now the only place
We get to see the ones we love, while we wait
For the destruction of that virus which we hate.
But everybody’s safe now.

Walking on eggshells we continue day by day.
The numbers fall and rise again, or so they say.
Regulations come and go like clouds in the sky.
We’re all on edge as we watch our dreams die.
But everybody’s safe now.

With eager anticipation we wait for the Shot.
“This magical potion will improve your lot.”
So we are told, and we willingly believe;
And those who don’t are horribly deceived!
But everybody’s safe now.

Safe from COVID, safe from the flu
Safe from decisions (they’re being made for you)
Safe from smiles, safe from sneers
Safe from seeing your face in the mirrors
Safe from truth, safe from thought
Safe from something no one has caught
Safe from freedom (that dangerous thing!)
Safe from life and the sorrow it brings…
Everybody’s safe now, so very, very safe.

*Inspired by the saying “Everybody’s happy now” in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

 

snoitalugeR dna seluR doviC

By Odelia Chan

You talk of masks and colors and bubbles;
We’re to stay at home, forbidden to huddle,
Or hug and smile, and sing and live.
But sir, something’s gotta give!

To save our lives, you prolong our deaths;
To do us good, you restrict our breaths;
We’re helpless, weak–we need the injection
Which you claim is our only salvation.

I used to ask, “When does this end?”
The lies you tell, the laws you bend
Grow like weeds, unstoppable.
What you do isn’t bad–it’s horrible.

We’re not wee babies who need someone
To think for us and tell us how it’s done.
You’re not God, though you want to be–
You’re overstepping here, you see.

Could you verify the things you claim?
Spreading fear seems your only aim
By speaking half-truths, or not at all.
(You’re set up for a pretty tall fall.)

I’ll leave off here–what is there to say?
It’s the four-hundred-and-ninety-fifth day
Of acts against health and humanity,
And endless wars on freedom and sanity.