Pandemic Of Silence
I dreamt about a great pandemic
Sweeping o’re the face of earth
Passed by contact with a virus
Touching all who’d come by birth.In the dream it just took contact
Hand to mouth or nose or eyes
Once inside death came quite quickly
Signs of end but few could hide.Death came quickly like bubonic
Three short days as folks withdrew
From the social world of others
Intense pain the suffering knew.One there was who, not affected,
Walked amidst this deathly scene;
Trapped inside a research venue
Lab-techs drew her blood within.Hard they worked to find the factor
Shielding her from plague around
Food and water were quite scanty –
Could vaccine in time be found?Though the woman could not carry
Children – age removed the means—
In her viens there coursed a factor
Which protected human genes.Silence swept the world around them –
In and out the air-tight door
Played this drama of their future
Noah’s ark played out once more.When at last they had a serum
Short-straw passed the air-lock through
Once survival was quite certain
Rest emerged to life anew.Starting over for these humans
(Last of species on the earth),
Questions rose quite fast amongst them
Rainbow absent – this God’s mirth?“No”, the woman said, “it’s our work
We this mess on earth have made.
Not the end of all creation
From what’s left the future’s laid.“Will we have a different future
Or perpetuate the past?
Making babies is quite simple
What of life will make it last?“Look around – all others gone now
We are all that’s left to grow
What will future folks inherit
From what this small cluster knows?“From my veins you’ve made the serum,
Lucky break for you I guess,
But together we move forward
Future rises from this mess.”As I think about this drama
Though far-fetched it speaks for all
Each of us lives out this story
Written large in venue small.We despair as small our stature
Tiny cogs in global scene
But the future is quite fickle
In our case what would this mean?If ’twas us, what contribution?
Or our kids? Their children few?
What, through neighbour here amongst us,
Would the future be from you?navigation