Relative Something

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I remember when we used to hug
and shake hands
even though I can’t remember
the last time I did either

despite the best hopes
for some version of successfully eating out
it is getting harder
to visualize how restauranting
will ever again work for all participants
in some new form of normal

all from that invisible virus
that kills more people
than morgues have space for
while unknown numbers
present no symptoms at all

and we can’t tell who has it
from who already may have had it
from who will get it next
and masks scare some folks
while angering way too many others

and the earth doesn’t seem to notice
people are pandemic-ing to and fro
as it unleashes new hurricanes
fires, and tornado
and fire-tornados
as if everything was still normal

I remember when we didn’t worry
about shaking hands and giving hugs
but I really struggle trying to remember
what it was like
to be unconcerned about proximity
to everyone else

.

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