the new normal ushers an era

of the unseen peripatetic foe

etched into living memoria

as earth shatters under its mighty blow

uncertainty plagues in circular motif

as losses rise

in numbers and in grief

grounding all to halt and cries

sparse gatherings in solitary spaces

amidst confinement and chaos

thorns grow in minds’ gardened places

plucking life away in a manner most heinous

the Reaper’s clandestine prowl across seven havens

troops gracefully into interior in one ruthless scoop

adorned with crown in viral covens

pruning ripe and unripe with scythe and swoop

doom’s mercenary howls in the streets seeking unguarded victims

seclusion is key together with good hygiene and masking

we watch helplessly as pandemic silences fete rhythms

enthroning newness in order of living

this is the era of the microscopic beast

threatening to obliterate nation after nation

and its inhabitants from cradle to age and from west to east

the curve is flattened by social distancing and self-isolation