We have been quarantined in our homes for a month and a half due to the pandemic, that started in China and spread all over the globe. The deadly Covid-19 virus has taken many lives and many have caught it and survived. It is a hard decision for leaders to require people to stay home, close schools, shut down stores and wear masks. Now is the time to decide how much longer this can go on. It is just as hard for people who are out of work, out of money, and in desperate straits. This is my opinion poem on the present situation.
There comes a time when choices must be made;
The age old choice of too many people in the boat
Who stays and who has to go for the greater good
Not a choice anyone wants to make for sure;
But, in time of pandemic no country wants to
roll over and play dead while everything goes
down the drain.
Hard choices must be made that will ultimately
affect you and me // living and dying are a part life.
No one wants to be Jonah tossed into the deep…
We all want to be put off on dry land // to live on;
But not making good choices could be apocalyptic.
When the whole world is controlled by leaders
who supersede our freedom to choose;
Then we are in for one wild ride…
one I am not interested in taking.
I believe it is time to come back out of the shadows;
To take the risk knowing the consequences
and begin living and working together again.
Perhaps I will be the first to go as a result!
I am okay with that // if it is my time.
Dr. Seuss photo: Bing clip art
I am posting this for open link night at d”Verse.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
I agree. Sometimes the risk is worth the knowledge. No suffering will be denied.
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Thank you!
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Yes, Dwight, you are so right! ” …not making good choices could be apocalyptic.” Your poem captures where we are right now, and the tragedy of this pandemic. My heart goes out to those who have lost lovd ones, and my prayers go out for those who are in the drivers’ seats, making decisions that prove life or death for others. Not a pretty place to be!
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Thank you Jan! You are right, I don’t in any way want to give the impression that I don’t feel compassion for all those who lost their lives in this tragedy. Decisions are not easy to make in this scenario!
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A poem that reflects the boat we find ourselves in. The risk of living and working together again…..worth it. 👍🏽
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Thank you Vivian! No easy answers!
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It is such a troubling time. I read a piece yesterday on Angela Merkel (Germany). Did you know she is a physicist by training? She has been working with experts in so many fields: environmental science, biology, public health, ethicists, buisiness etc….and listening and learning and together, with the equivalent of our governors in every state/district in Germany, has come up with a staged plan that they all agree on….a national plan. She gave a powerful speech discussing the ramifications, the dangers, the slow approach they will take and that they may have to double back. She is thoughtful and rational and thinks before she speaks. How I wish that were the case in this country.
One thing my spouse talks about (he has worked in public health and is a scientist) is herd immunity. It is very difficult to develop that when everyone is inside and all is shut down. On the other hand, setting false deadlines when testing is not yet totally available etc….and shooting from the hip and letting politics enter in is not good either. We are in difficult times indeed. I do not think we will every return to what was the normal before this virus.
I appreciate your sharing your opinion here.
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Thank you Lillian for your very thoughtful comment. How will we every get immune if we never get out to mix.
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At my age, with my health issues, I feel the compulsion to strive out, to reach for control, but do not let your ego or Id push you into the killing grounds. I ride the fence on these issues, but it is difficult. I have a son-in-law who is angry at the restrictions, and is upset when other people shame him in public for not wearing a mask. I have friends who have already died. I think our governors will open commerce very slowly and strategically despite having Trump as the dunce in chief
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It is not an easy see-saw to ride. I am the same way with friends on both sides of the issue!
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I would rather err on the side of caution than have mass die-offs because we rushed back into it. If government doesn’t have the means to help those in crisis in their time of need what good is it? Moratorium on all debts, mortgages, etc., where claims can be filed to catch up on payments, implement monthly stimulus checks for as long as needed, and make sure there are enough test kits for everyone to identify those carriers so they can be quarantined. My son works in a hospital. By risking spikes in cases he and every front-line worker’s health is being unwillingly placed at risk.
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it is a precarious spot. I do believe hot spots should stay down longer, but states with no deaths should be opening up now. The money has to come from somewhere, and if business and people are not paying in taxes, where is all this coming from. They comes a point of no return if we wait too long!
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There are states with no deaths? There were over 31,000 NEW cases as of Tuesday and over 4,500 deaths as of Tuesday, with 670,000 confirmed cases and 33,000 dead, and this is *without* widescale testing. AND on lockdown! Maybe some of the military budget could be funneled to helping our people for a change? I understand your concerns Dwight, I just want to let this covid die out instead of skyrocketing because we got back to business too soon.
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Thank you Lisa for your informative comments. From what they are telling us, this will not ever die out. It has to run its course. If that is the case, how is it any different from any of the other flu bugs that come through every year? We can’t stay in for ever. I guess only time will tell.
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Dwight, it is different than any of the other flu bugs, but you can research how if you want. I just heard on NPR that there are 3 multi-state coalitions formed now that are trying to figure things out. The coalitions include half of the US population. I have to have faith they will figure out how best to proceed. You’re right though, only time will tell, whatever happens next.
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That is encouraging! I hope they can come to some kind of consensus on a plan to get back to work.
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you have certainly stimulated a great discussion on this one Dwight!
Our current leaders are more dictators with huge egos who don’t really care about the masses. I have offered to return to volunteering coz I will die someday anyway. But I’ve worked with infections before and take precautions …
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It is on everyone’s mind. How will the future look if we wait with jobless people increasing every day.
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hey they survived the Great Depression, no idea how …
our First Nation people have survived 65,000 years, enduring climate changes and more than 200 years of genocide and torture from us invaders so they are very wise strong people!
We can do it! xx
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Yes!!
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kaykuala
I believe it is time to come back out of the shadows;
To take the risk knowing the consequences
and begin living and working together again.
This revolve in our minds, all of us! Sadly reality seems reluctant to accede. Leaders think macro so we have to try our best to survive individually!
Hank
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Seems that way! Thanks Hank for your comment!
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I feel we cannot open up the country unless there are certain perimeters in place. We need testing, tracking etc. Do I think some places can open? Yes, some are in better shape. NY has taken a hard death toll and to open that up again is a recipe for disaster. Some countries tried Herd immunity and it hasn’t worked out that great. All life is precious.
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Yes it is… and we want to keep it going as much as possible without collapse!
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dwight, a brave stance on a difficult situation. bravo. and it’s not social distancing, it’s physical distancing. we are pack animals, social distancing is depression and worse-than-death. perhaps there will be mass hugging! that is, if they ever lift the restrictions…
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Thank you. You are right it is physical distancing. A big group hug would be wonderful for a change! Thank you for you affirmation and for sharing your thoughts.
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It looks like things are going to start opening up again.
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That will be a good thing!
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We are all tired of being inside (I am living in 2 rooms in an apartment building), but we need a plan. The people who will continue dying are the ones already dying–those in institutions, (including the elderly) and those who haven’t been staying inside because of the nature of their work–medical workers, public servants, first responders, minimum wage service workers, or the people who live crowded into small spaces (primarily the poor and minorities). I live in NYC. The virus strain here came from Europe, not China. I have friends who work in hospitals, medical offices, work with the elderly. This is not the flu, and it only takes one person to spread the virus to an entire community. We need a plan, based on science, not hunches.
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Thank you for your thoughtful response. We definitely need a plan going forward and we need to be on a state by state basis, not a nationwide edict.
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I agree, the states have their own issues and needs. But no state or country for that matter lives in isolation any more. We are supposed to be a united states, and that requires national leadership and guidelines based on what we know about how the disease spreads. Just because you don’t get very sick, doesn’t mean you can’t infect and kill someone else. I don’t subscribe to every man for himself.
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A timely and poignant write. The lockdown is and has been hard on most of us. But it is necessary until we figure things out.
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Hopefully they will get it figured out very soon!
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I think there are things we can do and there are things we cannot do for a long time yet. Opening up to huge sport events is not going to happen this year I think… but to be able to go out, to be able to buy more than the bare necessities… as long as you keep the distance… I will avoid traveling to keep everyone safe. But can you trust everyone with good judgment.
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A really big issue is schools. Children will not keep physical distancing. They are naturally social creatures. Thank Bjorn!
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But they don’t get very sick either. Schools shall be open in my opinion. First grade schools are open in Sweden, and their contribution to spread is minimal.
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That is good to know!
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If we had closed schools (and daycare) there would be too few people on the healthcare frontline… kids being away from school in poor neighborhood is potentially a greater risk than the virus in my mind.
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Yes, I agree!
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Go on. Go about your business. You might kill me.
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