Six Feet for Life
Round decals, mostly yellow
for visibility with traction.
Some with shoe prints,
some with binary figures,
symbolize social distance,
suggest six feet apart
and caution six feet down.
To follow this narrow path
means leaving hope behind.
Conflict moving forward,
conflict of contagion,
personal space imposed,
health care redefined as
mandated protection.
Too many losses, trust
not the least of them,
certainty not becoming,
certainty becoming blind.
The symbols, cast down
before our dazzled eyes,
a mask disguising lies.
A society torn asunder,
a trumpet call to arms.
At first with compassion,
at first with reassurance,
soon bitter accusations,
words like misinformation,
and disinformation.
The science, infallible
as a guidepost to treason,
preys on fear of illness,
prays on sickness, death,
sows the seeds of division.
While some fight to live,
others fight for life.
Three years in, what symbol
will mark the next steps –
globalized tyranny, or
global-sized heart?
Traces of decals
shiny as fresh scabs,
dare us to pick at them.
LMC