An ode to Covid-19

I didn’t see you, yet I saw you
I saw you on my TV screen in Wuhan
No, no one embraced you,
Why would they? You ripped their inner beings.
But you taught the world the truth.

You reminded mankind — they came alone
And leave alone they must.
The family they created would desert them,
Lest you embrace them too, with your thrust.
You reminded all with your mighty power, the end can be so near.

The corpses that filled the containers
Those that were cremated on streets,
Those that received their last rites from strangers
Belonging to a different creed.
Orphans left to fend for themselves, parents you took away in a breeze.

You wreaked havoc, yet, you were always hidden
You touched everyone, the prince and the pauper
Government coffers you emptied
Terror in every soul you bred
Doctors, nurses and those who treated, you took many of them as well.

You have shaken the world, But taught us many a lesson,
Lessons we didn’t learn in a lifetime, you did in two years.
You taught us to live with less, to undo the damage we caused
We travel little, so the atmosphere is cleaner
We eat clean, as the restaurants are all closed.

You taught us not to be greedy
With less, we live like those before.
You taught us to buy less
The clothes we own suffice us.
You taught us to waste less, so others can also get by.

You’ve taught us to love our homes
To find joy in all blinded treasures,
How stupid we have been to search for happiness
In all the ephemeral things hitherto.
Now, we are rich without all that is worthless.

Grateful we are Covid for waking us up.
You’ve done your job, We are shaken up to our core.
Your stay has been prolonged
It’s time to say adieu
The lessons you taught will be remembered down the road.