Horsemen

Here is my first Coronavirus-inspired poem, written in early March 2020, before COVID had really hit our area, and all was wild imaginings and supposition.  

The picture reminds me of the almost garish red floral look of the virus, when seen under a microscope.  That image has been splashed alongside every virus-related news item for almost a year.  And of course, the tissue box reminds us of COVID’s friendlier cousin, the common cold.

I could not help invoking the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, to talk about the fear we feel, when we know something bad is coming.  I was especially thinking about the woodcut by Albrecht  Duerer.   Whenever I read the poem aloud, I can hear the horses galloping.

They say a life in fear is only half-lived.  And per Franklin Roosevelt, the only thing we need to fear is fear itself.  But harnessing our bronco thoughts is easier said than done. 

I think many people would agree with me today, in February of 2021, that the virus has far exceeded our wildest and most fearful  expectations.

Good luck in your own personal fight against this scourge.

Dire dreamscapes in the night;

Looking left and looking right;

Wicked  whispers in my ear–

Do not let me live in fear.

Sinking feeling in my gut;

Senses reeling, wondering what

Awaits me; Future, bleak, unclear–

Do not let me live in fear.

Nightly news and daily screed;

Hard to hear and hard to read;

Threatening all, that I hold dear–

Do not let me live in fear.

In this era, pampered, weak;

Doubtful victory for the meek,

Leveling all, who linger here–

Do not let me live in fear.

Pack my worries, bind them tight;

Un-sheath my sword, prepare to fight!

Horsemen, horsemen, drawing near–

Do not let me live in fear.

Copyright 2020 Andrea LeDew

For another poem about the harsh toll of COVID-19, read Winter’s Toll.