{Last weekend, in Missouri, lots of people gathered at a hotel pool, and someone captured the scene on video. Most seemed to be ignoring social-distancing and mask-wearing protocols, and acted normally, as if the virus didn’t exist. As if we had somehow achieved its total and complete surrender. As if now, we deserve a ticker-tape parade.
Memorial Day is a US holiday. It commemorates those who have died for our country.  All weekend,this year, flags were flown at half-mast, to remind us of those extra lives lost to disease, often while serving us. The three-day weekend falls close on the heels of many states’ declarations, of their official re-openings. For some states, this came after a mere eights weeks, of more of less half-hearted quarantine. Â
Many public officials have declared a kind of triumph over the virus. Even as we learn, that new cases continue to develop. Though quick to declare victory, these same officials seem reluctant, to spell out which rules we should follow, to ensure our nation’s safe recovery.Â
Leaving each individual to his or her own devices, and governing, from the lowest level possible, is not governing at all. It is leading us, instead, to a state of confusion, chaos and contempt.Â
At the hotel I mentioned above, the policeman at the scene declared, “No rules were broken.” Which leads me to believe, that there were no rules.
Doctors agree that following simple rules, like mask-wearing, hand washing and social distancing, consistently and faithfully, might give us some hope of avoiding a costly and deadly resurgence.  on the other hand, these victory laps and reckless celebrations all but guarantee our return to bitter quarantine. Please continue to stay safe in this worrisome world. And thank you, for stopping by to read!}
All the world re-opens.
All is hope and all is glory.
Pinch me. We survived this?
And you claim the battle’s won?
Is it any wonder, that
We long to flock together,
Our hormones yearning for the day
Our coupling is begun?
So where’s our Times Square moment?
Where’s our grand parade, out-pouring
Our heart-felt solidarity
With heroes, old and young?
No whimpering in the closets!
Get us back to our full glory!
The flags at half recall the fallen:
Soon you will be one.
Nestled in the Ozarks
Lies a pool that brims with bodies.
Margaritas, daquiris,
Bikinis dot the scene.
Celebrating Freedom
In the grande olde U.S. fashion:
With barbecues and beers and brawls.
A mingling, mask-less dream.
But not a rule was broken.
There’s no harm in celebrating!
Besides, each individual
Has safety, top of mind.
We trust each one, implicitly,
Deciding, from the bottom.
And revel, in our cowardice.
And die, in two weeks’ time.
Copyright 2020 Andrea LeDew
If you enjoyed this poem you might like A Break from Routine.
Andrea, I’m actually optimistic that a vaccine will become available by next spring. That’s still a long time to cope with fear and risk, but not a long haul in the larger scheme of things. As you mentioned, earlier generations had to cope with the possibility of lethal and debilitating diseases for their entire lives.
I couldn’t agree with you more. We are in for a resurgence of epic proportions.
I hesitated to hit like on that comment. Smiley faces also seem inappropriate. Fasten your seatbelts, Liz! And here’s hoping we’re both wrong!!
I hope and pray we’re both wrong!
I hope you’re both wrong, but I fear you may be right. I’m still mostly staying home, but I did venture out to play tennis with a buddy twice in the past week. It’s a calculated risk–a bubble?–but it still makes me nervous!
I’m still hunkered down in the house. My husband and I have been going on scenic drives on the weekends. We’re headed to Vermont next weekend to look for abandoned houses to photograph.
That sounds like fun endeavor! One of my favorite blogs to visit does the same thing!
https://architecturalafterlife.com/2020/05/19/understandinging-white-balance/
Thank you for the link, Andrea. Nothing in Vermont or New Hampshire, unfortunately.
I just enjoy those photographs, and the way that Nature jealously insists on taking back even the grandest, most well-kept places. One of my own mother’s greatest frustrations, as I recall. 😊
Here in northern New England, the forests reclaim abandoned farms and cleared land very quickly.
Hope so too Brad.
I think part of the pain we experience, at having to change our behaviors, is that many of those feeling the profound effects of this virus on their lives have lived, up to this point, in a time of relative safety.
It is almost inconceivable to us, that we could run across a problem, which limits our freedom of movement and our economic activity, and is a problem which we can’t immediately and easily “fix.”
Calculating risk has been a dominant way of gauging one’s actions for much of human history. Just watch the John Adams series in the time of smallpox or the Medici series in the time of plague, not to mention every war movie or series ever.
Only in recent years have we lived in a bubble of relative safety, without the wildcards of widespread incurable infectious disease and/or war or the threat of war on our home turf.
I guess that’s over. 😬We may be in this for the long haul.
That sounds fun! I can’t think of any abandoned houses around here. Vermont has largely been spared in the pandemic. I just looked at our statistics, and we currently have 0 confirmed cases in hospital, with 21 in hospital “under investigation.” I’ve heard anecdotal reports of a large number of cars coming up from places like New Jersey over Memorial Day weekend.
Good to hear. Florida’s not out of the woods yet I think.
We’ve found photos of abandoned houses online. We’ll stick to the back roads.
Here in NH, we’re not faring nearly as well. We’re still getting new cases and new deaths every day. Many people remain hospitalized.