Covid Memoriam May 25,2020 Poem by Grant House

To each of you who passed away
Often alone and scared
Victims of the Covid 19 pandemic
Nearly 100,000 of you so far here in the USA
Nearly 350,000 worldwide
1,000 a day more of you dying daily here
In the weeks ahead

To each of the 1.7 million of you in the US who became ill
5.4 million worldwide
To those who cared for you
Healthcare workers
Your families and your friends
To everyone who lost a job
Got laid off
Closed their business
Worked in imminent danger of getting sick providing needed equipment, services, and supplies

To each person who did not have to die were we to have had responsive leadership not blinded by politics, self agrandisement, and willful ignorance of expert advice and science

To those who told the truth
Who tried to warn our leaders
Who stood up courageously
Only to be shut down or marginalized

To every person and group who rose to the challenge
Who designed and sewed millions of masks and personal protective gear
To those who wore homemade masks, quarantined alone or with their families, stayed far apart, and figured out how to teach and learn online

To each and every person who recovered
Saved by nurses, doctors, family members friends

And, to the countless thousands who were spared because of the care and responsible actions of your community

We will remember you

We will not undercount you
We will not dismiss your suffering as a hoax
We will not pretend this did not happen
Nor will we rush to claim victory prematurely
Or promote false cures

We will honor you with renewed diligence
We will renew our commitment to be responsible members of a loving community

And we will honor you for the full blooded human beings you are
Not merely statistics
Not just an economic downturn
And certainly not as an inconvenience

We recognize you
And we will do everything in our power
To ensure your safe passage through this tragedy

We will prevail mostly due to the wisdom of the people
A long haul? Yes by all accounts
But prevail we will!

Our memory is longer
The depth of our commitment
That no one shall have died in vain
Unfathomable

We will remember
You