artwork by Munenori Tamagawa
I AM THE VIRUS _ a poem in homage of Ishmael Reed
By Yuri Kageyama
(Written SUN March 22, 2020 as the world fights the pandemic over the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and I continue to be aghast at the utter lack of integrity among the supposedly best of us, the ignorance, selfishness, ugliness. )
I am the virus
I thrive on mossy
envious egos
They keep showing
up
Offices,
clubs, picnics,
Choosing being seen, hoarding
Over social dis-tan-cing
I am the
virus
I fester in corona-shaped
clusters
Commuter
trains, cruises, crowds
Peering at
the Olympic torch,
I love the naming
“Chinese virus”
The taunts, attacks on slant-eyed people
I am the
virus
I cower when
folks stay in
Takeout food,
work from home,
A meter
apart on solitary walks,
Wearing
masks, washing hands,
Mixing aloe and alcohol
I am the virus
The crazy evil
devoured
By doctors, vaccines,
canceled concerts
Turning into live-streamed music,
People who remember to tell those they love
How much
they really love them