Influenza

Even a flu shot
can be a metaphor
the higher dose
hurts more
but makes more antibodies
and I for one
need all the white
blood cells
that I can muster
to counteract
the ills
life throws my way

After the shot
my arm is sore
but now I'm ready
to counter
this years flu
though not the Covid
I'm praying that one
passes me and all
my loved ones by

At least I'm not alone
as many are
through this long year
of plague that isolates us
from friends
from family
from those we love
to go for months
without another's touch
has become
a commonplace
a harsh reality
and there are worse things
happening out there
in nursing homes
in hospitals
among the old
those who suffer from dementia
from a sense
of having been abandoned
who can't understand
why they've been deprived
the comfort of familiar faces
of children come to visit

No antibodies for that kind
of sickness
for Alzheimers
for loneliness
or for the grief
of those who've lost
parent or partner
someone precious
so we can pray
for a vaccine
but also for
the courage
and compassion
we each need
to come through this
harsh time
no less forgiving
of our adversaries
by which I mean ourselves
and come through
possibly more human
in our shared grief
for what's been lost
and in our gratitude
for all that still calls out
for celebration