Pantoum on the Pandemic

They told me several things the other day:
“Wearing masks could help to save more lives;”
And something else that made me more afraid:
“Most of this pandemic is a lie.”

Wearing masks could help to save more lives?
White-coats cry “This is absurd invention!”
Most of this pandemic is a lie?
This requires disbelief-suspension.

White-coats cry “This is absurd invention!
Get back in your homes and do it fast!”
This requires disbelief-suspension;
Such a phony cure could never last.

Get back in your homes and do it fast,
The air is thickened with heart-pulsing fear.
Such a phony cure could never last;
Surely somewhere the end is near.

The air is thick with heart-pulsing fear–
The powers of the state have overreached!
Surely somewhere the end is near;
Social contracts everywhere are breached.

The powers of the state have overreached,
And shall a bright red sea restrain their hand?
Social contracts everywhere are breached;
That red is like the bleeding of our land.

Shall a bright red sea restrain their hand
Against the blue tsunami’s godless swell?
That red is like the bleeding of our land.
All our tongues are set on fire by hell.

Against the blue tsunami’s godless swell
Only truth could stand and plant a flag.
But all our tongues are set on fire by hell
We plant nothing more than filthy rags.

Only truth could stand and plant a flag
In this scorching, ash-encrusted ground,
And we plant nothing more than filthy rags,
Scattering our fallenness around.

In this scorching, ash-encrusted ground,
I saw many kneeling, lying prone,
Scattering our fallenness around
The base of a bright white blazing throne.

I saw many kneeling, lying prone,
And many red-inked pages lined their way
To the bright white blazing throne.

They told me many things the other day,
And something else that made me less afraid.