The Virus

You came upon our peaceful land

Intruding uninvited on our shores

You spread like prairie fire

The flames consuming all afore

The lesson you teach us all today

Is never take for granted our life’s way

We are as fragile as all in nature is

Though often we think we are masters of the inn

How sad our cities and roadways look

Not a car in sight, not a person afoot

But birds and fish now hold the sway

Once again nature can abound and play

Disease and death strike out unchallenged

Social disruptions spread untrammelled

Some lose jobs, others loved ones

The fear and pain spread consternation

The arrogance of man is swept aside

The pandemic illustrates fragility and pride

A simple string of mRNA

Is all that’s needed to render him prey

We lock ourselves up in hope of being free

What a paradox this can be

But even in the depths of this scourge

There are some of us who heed not its dirge

But nature cannot be ignored

The virus teaches us to respect its laws

It humbles us, the masters of the universe

We are no better than the littlest ant we observe

Will we go back to our routine ways

Ignoring nature and exploiting its space

Until another disaster strikes

Or another virus variant bites

Tis time to remember the simple joys of life

That we now so sorely miss amide this strife

The hug, the kiss, the company of friends

So much taken for granted till it all ends.

So how do we cope, how can we get

Back to normal life again

Perhaps we will learn some lessons from this

Each his own, never to forget

And in time we will revive

To laugh again, to be alive

We will savour each moment as a gift

Life’s simple pleasures we had often missed

We will again treasure as lovely and fair

The parks and forests, the open air

Never taking for granted the offerings of life

Avoiding all manner of unnecessary strife