I step outside, warm sun on my face

My feet tingle in sneakers, newly purchased

Eager to see old friends, travel to new places

My mind eager, and fueling the fire is worth it

But do I like what I see?

What greets my eye is somber streets

Hurried steps conceal timid faces

Mothers of young children pray for feast

See their longing eyes, turn aside the racist

Adore the fathers, hustling for the next check

Cities go dark long before the sun sets

One miscue could lead to fatal wreck

And they struggle with each and every breath

Walk a little further, mind picking up speed

Is this what the world has become?

Friends and neighbors battle to careen

Down a depressive slope of death and mud

Blood mixed with the tears of saints

They just can’t pray enough for us

Daylight rekindles the will to save, or be saved

I can’t endure anymore lack of love

No, I don’t like what I see

Cities have slowed to menacing halt

Debilitated by government, greed, and fear

Honesty is stupid, sound bites are smart

Do you save lives, or your political career?

I bet nature appreciates fewer cars

But did she want people fighting each other

That which you did not create to bar

Can you hoard from any living creature?

Furious at the treatment of humanity

The virus is the thing I’m least sickened by

Togetherness needs re-enacting

But the death has me on my doorstep, crying

The world has gone to shit, I cannot stop it

I just hope that people see matters most

Shake the cobwebs loose and regain the wit

Before we lose more than we’ve already lost