Quarantined like a cat in a window,
Pedestrians scurry like ancient adversaries;
Rummaging through twitter feeds and litterboxes
I sit, and wait, and hope for any number of fixes.
Not the great outdoors, or some great adventure—
Perhaps a tree to climb, to lay like larva upon a branch
And so suspend above an endless expanse of leafiness
To crunch and munch on chlorophyll until I’m full.

Quarantined like a mannequin in some boutique,
Passersby seem to love window shopping;
So outfitted I stand quite still and fit to my profession,
But even mannequins start to feel the oppression
And I’m tempted to put myself on sale, to shout—
Everything must go! —so long as I go with it.
I don’t need no Champs d’Elysees or promenade upon which to parade—
I’ll take an alleyway if you let me stay outside all day.

Quarantined like pigs in a pen [if they could fly, they surely would?]
Quarantined like fish in a barrel [swim in circles and hope for the best?]
Quarantined like Soviet cosmonauts [finally severed from the capitalist earth?]
Quarantined like a book you wish you’d put down [better just finish it?]
Quarantined like fake news on Fox [no news is good news?]
Quarantined like the diaries of a Madman [Октября 3. 分隔多年，消息漸闕?]
Quarantined, Quarantined, Quarantined;
Quarantined! Quarantined? Quarantined.