when would we realize
that disasters never happen?
they are simply brought upon 
ourselves by mistakes
that morph into a domino line of
sins.

a domino line that we had long knocked into motion,
and only now do we feel the tremors of our wrongdoings.

❖❖❖

a tale as young as our times:
february and they locked our doors.
march and we forgot how to laugh.
april and we forgot how to smile.

and when this all stretches to ad infinitum, we'll forget ourselves. 
so let me teach you how to smile at a human.

except that smiling cannot be taught,
pain cannot be dispelled,
and death cannot be destroyed.

❖❖❖

on a serious note,

i really hope all of you stay safe. these unprecedented times are testing our resilience.
and my poetry, as usual, borders dark themes,
so i ask you to refrain from reading if you have already been weighed down by the crisis.

but if you, like me, feel the
need to grapple with the situation through words, either by writing or reading, then so be it.

❖❖❖

to all our front-line workers who have been working
day and night ever since january, i am ever so grateful
that your work is helping humanity through this crisis.

not all heroes wear capes -- some wear hazmat suits, blue gowns, or supermarket IDs.