That rose had had
No business no business
Being there no comfort in it
Hard heels clicked on
White marble floors
Elevator door sopened
Closed which floor was it?
Should have worn my gloves
Damn, damn fingertip buttons
The call came all wrong
At the wrong time all wrong
No time no way, no time
To get prepared, anyway
How does one prepare for –
There is no way to prepare
For the inevitable leaving
And damn life, life
Wasn’t supposed to, to
End this way not this way
Marks gloves disinfectant
Wary looks worried faces
News always the news
Bad news in the newspaper
Pandemics shame and fear
Pandemonium and anger
Oh yes especially anger
LIfe was supposed to be fun –
Wasn’t that what we were told
When we were young
Before all this happened
Now it’s not fun no more fun
And we’re not young or amused
Too too old for this nonsense
Nurses doctors white uniforms
White hallways white people
White privilege. Privilege
What is that anyway?
Viruses don’t have eyes
Or rains no respecter of class
Once everything ws fine
Once before this happened
Before Room 524 and roses
Or purple blotches that bloomed
Like dark orchids on fair skin
That had no business there
No business on fair youth
Fair times together no more
No cure farewell to youth
Unfair unfair unfair
Corona virus digital viruses
No escaping those facts
Like that rose, that rose
That had no business
Being there being there
And the sounds echo echo –
Echo of an earlier time
of HIV
R. Neal Peterson 2020.0520