Unlike hailstones shooting from the sky
that come with thunders and lightning,
unlike deadly volcanoes and earthquakes
that shake houses before tearing them apart,
unlike tornadic storms roaring in the plains
that show their funnels prior to flattening towns
unlike tsunamis in islands and seashores
that wash everything with tremendous force
and unlike most other natural calamities
that send some warnings or foreshadowing,
Corona is a notorious deceit.
***
Corona travels through touches and cares
as you shake hands with near-and-dears
it comes riding on your prized gazettes
as you hold them with utmost admiration
it comes masking in hugs and kisses
as you caress loved ones with affection
it comes mixed up with life-giving food
as you buy them with hard-earned labor
it stays fixed on keys and door handles
as one catches a deadly spirit in motion
it comes and stays with most everything
as you handle them without caution.
***
Therefore, the only way to protect yourself
from this killer virus infection is precaution;
tighten your door locks and stay home
as if you are stranded on a lonely planet
frighten this enemy with emptied roads
as if it’s scared of its own silhouettes
sanitize your hands with chemicals
as if you are entering the operation theatre
vanitize all your commutes and walks for a while
as if everything needs a pause for a recharge
bask in the hot sun in yards or rooftops
as if you are raisins drying in the sun
mask yourself always like burglars on missions
as if you are promised for a commission
gargle with warm water every fifteen minutes
as if you have icebergs to melt inside your bowels
and follow all the mantras from survivors
as if they are the only saviors for the moment,
long before the unseen enemy settles in your hands
and finds ways into your lungs.
***
Yet, no losing hope or getting swayed by panic
or, reading fake news and developing into a maniac
there is light, though dim, at the end of the tunnel
the death-rate is not as high as it could have been,
it should subside as we learn to live and fight with it
and we will be teaching, preaching or farming.
Grey Sparrow Journal 