i hate this nasty new disease
this virus that imperils each breath 
that has me reading portents in a sneeze,
and peering round corners looking for death. 

did you know sirens have a dying sound
a sort of fucked up banshee wail? 
it’s the sound of a life winding down
as the body of a neighbor begins to fail. 

every day we hear the lazy cry 
as the ambulance crawls to a stop 
at door of another family nearby
waiting for the final shoe to drop. 

you feel a shameful creeping disbelief
as the stretcher moves up another’s walk 
and your shoulders sag in relief
when the siren moves on up the block. 

———————

M. Morehead  – 4/26/2020