The same disease

The same despair

The same street scenes

of lengthy silent sombre 'distanced' queues

then spurts of screaming/swearing/fighting men

erupting out of nothing, as foolish women flinch and hurry by

The same masked faces blankly looming everywhere

The same mask-haters, lips left naked, spewing lies

The same official edicts — strangely bumptious, bold uncertainty

The same vanilla-flavoured brusque antimonies

schools opening — low transmission venue

churches closing — high transmission venue

strip clubs opening — low transmission venue

sea wall grief walks suspended — high transmission venue(???)

The same upbeat defence — 'we are learning!' 'it's so novel!'—

of constant crazy-making antimony

The same wild whirligig of ever-changing rules

The same snide, keen-eyed, avid laying on of blame

The same fierce blaming of the blame-layers

The same old smarmy syrup poured —just so much to be grateful for!

(sunshine!! puppies!! sourdough!!)

The same pre-packaged, day-care-gurgled "honesty"

(yesyesyes, we're all angry — but so much to be grateful for)

The same pink hearts, taped to all those front-room windowpanes

thin paper fading now, edges soiled and curled

The same lip-licking gourmet glee in dissing others

The same smug, placatory statements of self-owned privilege

The same insistence that we're all in this together

The same outrage at simple fact — that 'we' are not

The same swift anger lashing bad sports who say that we are not

The same crude ever-present warning signs, ill-hung, fading too,

but still glaring, ugly, lurid hued, on barred blockaded entryways

that still, nevertheless, also say "enter"

that still, nevertheless, you also must enter

though you don't want to,

you don't want to enter

or be entered

and placards still all say to go away

just go away

❦