For the collection: 'Life in the time of #COVID'
A planet
caught up
in anxiety,
a myriad, a cloud
of uncertainties
a globe
caught up
in the vortex
of a spiteful virus
calls for clear heads
that don't freak out
but stay calm, cool
enough to respond
to all possible preventive
measures and guidelines
A world
hard-pressed to find
a person who is unaffected
must restrict the spread
of a virus whose trail
is a hurt body, a loss
or a hurt health system
or a hurt economy
and a hurt humanity
The infected are to seek
medical attention pronto,
all persons are affected,
all to refrain from feeding
the chaos or anxiety
for there is life, a lesson
after the frenzied storm
as the health heroes
fight and sacrifice
with a bravery
that seeks to save
lives even to the core
of a breaking point
A turbulent time
calls for unity,
for the melting
of hearts,
there has to
be a merger
of purpose
for the sake
of humanity
Here is a hard-hit
earth that has to fight
the virus from various
angles but with a singularity
of purpose that knows no walls
of bias and ego but gates
of lenience
and alliance
For the front-line
healthcare workers—
the planet salutes them—
they can’t be thanked,
appreciated enough—
whether the cases
spike or decline
for their valor, verve,
love and selflessness.
Ndaba Sibanda is the author of 'Notes, Themes, Things, and Other Things,' 'The Gushungo Way,' 'Sleeping Rivers,' 'Love O’clock,' 'The Dead Must Be Sobbing,' 'Football of Fools,' 'Cutting-edge Cache,' 'Of the Saliva and the Tongue,' 'When Inspiration Sings In Silence,' 'The Way Forward,' 'The Ndaba Jamela and Collections,' and 'Poetry Pharmacy'. Sibanda is a 2019 Pushcart nominee.