Is this a fever or not-just-any-fever
that our daughter has
Am I tired or
too tired to wake up next week
Why do I keep justifying a cup
of coffee from the drive-up shop
Why do I manage to laugh when a
waiter pulls down his mask to reveal
his smile
I cannot ignore the numbers or the signals
all around me
I won’t
Why do I feel like I am being
pushed into a corner
the odd duck out
inconveniencing others
by setting appropriate boundaries
by drawing a line in the heavy granite sand
on a Labor Day weekend beach
when I know and you know we
should all be doing something
anything else
at home
safe and away from others
protecting those who do not
know better
yet clearly we all
do not know better
and all we truly know
is the insatiable habitual power
of Instant Gratification
of Get it Now
and Get it Hot
and Get it Cheap
My takeout sandwich laughs
at me,
without a mask on
and I know
and you know
that somewhere
deep down within us
there is wisdom the size
of a particle of sand
(but it is there)
that does know better
and can do better
and can build fire
and can carry water
and can resist temptation
and can make their own sandwich
and can stop being grossly negligent
carrying on
practically licking
the shopping carts
laughing in the faces of others
and thinking it won’t happen to me
because I am ________
because I eat organic
because I am me
and we are us
this blatant display of gluttony
and luxury that our culture has come
to know and love so well
will love us
to death
if we
let it.