Plague doctor with maskLife Under Quarantine: CCP Virus (COVID-19) Poetry The Society April 14, 2020 Covid-19, Culture, Humor, Poetry 15 Comments Costume Parties by Fiat? by Julian Woodruff ‘Round nearly vacant lots The cars grow fewer still. No traffic tied in knots, No malls in which to mill. The numbers in the market Are smaller day by day. The orders are to park it, Camped at our homes to stay. More people that I see Are wearing masks and gloves; I wonder, next shall we All be in surgeons’ scrubs? I trust we’re not despairing, Bound to some fuzzy lie, And should tee-shirts be wearing Silk-screened, “Live free and die!” Verses Poet’s Note: Until yesterday, my friend and neighbor, a retired nurse, had not been wearing a mask. When I saw her masked this morning and asked her what changed, she told me that she “felt like a pariah” for not wearing one. Conversely my wife, entering the lobby of the Time-Warner Building, was approached by the security guard who said to her “You’re not wearing a mask—you must have Faith.” by Joe Tessitore They’ve scared me to death! I’m afraid to draw breath and I’m wearing a mask so that no one will ask. I shelter in place and I don’t touch my face and I do wash my hands when The Doctor commands ‘cause I wanna grow old so I do what I’m told as I ride the death spiral … a virus gone viral. I’ve run out of nerve— can I flatten a curve? Raven-Us April 7, 2020 by Raymond Gallucci Death toll climbing, stocks subliming— It’s Coronavirus world. Faithful praying, most are staying Home with hoards already squirreled. Forecasts dooming, end-times looming— Can’t see past the current week. Like Titanic – time to panic. Desperately vaccine all seek. “Curve must flatten in Manhattan— Cancel 2020 Spring!” Venture nowhere, four walls you stare At in endless lingering. Think you’re coping, even hoping? Raven utters “Nevermore!” Edgar Allan Poe’s your pal when Crossing Styx to Pluto’s shore. Yesterday by Russel Winick Yesterday was turbulent All factions on attack. It really was deplorable And God—I want it back! NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. 15 Responses Julian D. Woodruff April 14, 2020 Nos. 2-4 are clever, especially Mr. Gallucci’s. But whose is no. 2–not mine! Reply Monty April 14, 2020 Good idea for a verse, Russel: and a subtle way to approach the current climate. But it raises a pertinent thought . . that no matter how bad things were before, we’d rather have that than this. Of course we would. Your concept could also, potentially, lead us to realise how we might’ve been previously taking some things for granted: individually and collectively. And we might value certain things more than we did once we get them back. As Joni Mitchell told us: ‘You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’. Reply Russel Winick April 15, 2020 Thank you Monty. I agree wholeheartedly! Russel Reply joespringza April 16, 2020 Great short poem, thank you. Joseph S. Salemi April 14, 2020 Dear Joe Tessitore — I liked your poem about masks. Just about a week ago I entered my corner delicatessen to buy some sandwiches and beer. The place was fairly crowded, since it was near lunchtime, and the place is actually quite small. Nobody had a mask on. We were all just laughing and talking as we waited for our sandwiches to be made. All of a sudden some arrogant millennial jerk walked in with a mask on, and started loudly berating every one there, but especially the Arab deli owner, protesting that we were irresponsible lawbreakers and that we should all be fined. He went one and on — as over-entitled liberal schmucks tend to do — until finally the Arab store-owner screamed “Get out of my place! Who do you think you are? When God wants you to die you will die, and your stupid mask won’t save you!” Then he came from behind the counter, grabbed the little creep, and physically threw him out of the deli. The millennial schmuck landed on his ass, and started whimpering. We all cheered! If more of us showed the courage of that tough Arab store-keeper, this governmental tyranny of health-freaks wouldn’t be choking our economy to death. Reply Joe Tessitore April 14, 2020 Thank you, Joseph, and a true Brooklyn story if I ever heard one. If things ever get back to normal and if it’s possible, I’d like to audit one of your classes, if you think one would be appropriate for me. Let me know what you think. Reply Joseph S. Salemi April 14, 2020 Thanks, Joe. Right now because of this Wuhan flu virus I’m teaching my six classes on-line, and it is a maddening waste of time. But if the colleges ever get back to normal face-to-face lectures, you are certainly welcome to come and sit in. Susan Jarvis Bryant April 15, 2020 Dr. Salemi, this delicatessen/mask story is highly amusing yet so utterly hard-hitting in the message it conveys. When the cure is more deadly than the disease, something’s gone very, very wrong. This puts me in mind of the climate change “catastrophe” and the outrageous exploitation of those hard working tax payers finding it increasingly difficult to pay their fuel bills in the name of saving the planet. It’s all very worrying, indeed. Reply Sally Cook April 16, 2020 wonderful story, Joe. this Wuhan event has had both good and bad results. Good: foolish obsessions are being ignored. Independent people are being forced to look reality in the face; to make their own decisions. Bad: .Confusion reigns. People are trusting authority less and less, .yet .are more and confused Not good, any of it. . Reply Margaret Coats April 15, 2020 Joe and Joseph, “Verses” and stories much appreciated. Many thanks as well to whoever found the appropriate illustration. Reply Joe Tessitore April 15, 2020 Thank you Joseph, very much. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant April 15, 2020 I believe humor plays a huge role in alleviating the stress of difficult times and this set of poems plays a wonderful part. I especially like Joe Tessitore’s poetic take on the masks (it definitely hit a nerve with me) and Russel Winick’s Yesterday – how very, very true. Reply Russel Winick April 15, 2020 Thank you Susan. It’s amazing how much this has reoriented peoples’ thinking. Russel Reply Monty April 18, 2020 I’m not at all one for statistics, and I don’t know who John Hopkins Universe ty are: but according to them, 6,000 New Yorkers have died in the last 10 days. One can only wonder if anyone caught the virus during their bout of laughter in the above-mentioned Deli, and either subsequently died, or later passed it on to someone who did die. Highly improbable, I hear you say: and I agree entirely, it IS highly improbable . . but not impossible. And yet, how boastfully, how gleefully – how proudly even – the bullied-one projected the Deli episode. Reply Monty April 18, 2020 I’m not at all one for statistics, and I don’t know who John Hopkins University are: but according to them, 6,000 New Yorkers have died in the last 10 days. We’ll never know for sure, but one can’t help wondering if anyone caught the virus during the collective bout of laughter described at the above-mentioned Deli; and either subsequently joined the 6,000, or later passed it on to someone else who eventually joined the 6,000. Highly improbable, I hear you cry, and I agree entirely: it’s highly improbable . . but not impossible. And yet.. how boastfully, how gleefully – how proudly, even – the bullied-one related the tale. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Julian D. Woodruff April 14, 2020 Nos. 2-4 are clever, especially Mr. Gallucci’s. But whose is no. 2–not mine! Reply
Monty April 14, 2020 Good idea for a verse, Russel: and a subtle way to approach the current climate. But it raises a pertinent thought . . that no matter how bad things were before, we’d rather have that than this. Of course we would. Your concept could also, potentially, lead us to realise how we might’ve been previously taking some things for granted: individually and collectively. And we might value certain things more than we did once we get them back. As Joni Mitchell told us: ‘You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi April 14, 2020 Dear Joe Tessitore — I liked your poem about masks. Just about a week ago I entered my corner delicatessen to buy some sandwiches and beer. The place was fairly crowded, since it was near lunchtime, and the place is actually quite small. Nobody had a mask on. We were all just laughing and talking as we waited for our sandwiches to be made. All of a sudden some arrogant millennial jerk walked in with a mask on, and started loudly berating every one there, but especially the Arab deli owner, protesting that we were irresponsible lawbreakers and that we should all be fined. He went one and on — as over-entitled liberal schmucks tend to do — until finally the Arab store-owner screamed “Get out of my place! Who do you think you are? When God wants you to die you will die, and your stupid mask won’t save you!” Then he came from behind the counter, grabbed the little creep, and physically threw him out of the deli. The millennial schmuck landed on his ass, and started whimpering. We all cheered! If more of us showed the courage of that tough Arab store-keeper, this governmental tyranny of health-freaks wouldn’t be choking our economy to death. Reply
Joe Tessitore April 14, 2020 Thank you, Joseph, and a true Brooklyn story if I ever heard one. If things ever get back to normal and if it’s possible, I’d like to audit one of your classes, if you think one would be appropriate for me. Let me know what you think. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi April 14, 2020 Thanks, Joe. Right now because of this Wuhan flu virus I’m teaching my six classes on-line, and it is a maddening waste of time. But if the colleges ever get back to normal face-to-face lectures, you are certainly welcome to come and sit in.
Susan Jarvis Bryant April 15, 2020 Dr. Salemi, this delicatessen/mask story is highly amusing yet so utterly hard-hitting in the message it conveys. When the cure is more deadly than the disease, something’s gone very, very wrong. This puts me in mind of the climate change “catastrophe” and the outrageous exploitation of those hard working tax payers finding it increasingly difficult to pay their fuel bills in the name of saving the planet. It’s all very worrying, indeed. Reply
Sally Cook April 16, 2020 wonderful story, Joe. this Wuhan event has had both good and bad results. Good: foolish obsessions are being ignored. Independent people are being forced to look reality in the face; to make their own decisions. Bad: .Confusion reigns. People are trusting authority less and less, .yet .are more and confused Not good, any of it. . Reply
Margaret Coats April 15, 2020 Joe and Joseph, “Verses” and stories much appreciated. Many thanks as well to whoever found the appropriate illustration. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant April 15, 2020 I believe humor plays a huge role in alleviating the stress of difficult times and this set of poems plays a wonderful part. I especially like Joe Tessitore’s poetic take on the masks (it definitely hit a nerve with me) and Russel Winick’s Yesterday – how very, very true. Reply
Russel Winick April 15, 2020 Thank you Susan. It’s amazing how much this has reoriented peoples’ thinking. Russel Reply
Monty April 18, 2020 I’m not at all one for statistics, and I don’t know who John Hopkins Universe ty are: but according to them, 6,000 New Yorkers have died in the last 10 days. One can only wonder if anyone caught the virus during their bout of laughter in the above-mentioned Deli, and either subsequently died, or later passed it on to someone who did die. Highly improbable, I hear you say: and I agree entirely, it IS highly improbable . . but not impossible. And yet, how boastfully, how gleefully – how proudly even – the bullied-one projected the Deli episode. Reply
Monty April 18, 2020 I’m not at all one for statistics, and I don’t know who John Hopkins University are: but according to them, 6,000 New Yorkers have died in the last 10 days. We’ll never know for sure, but one can’t help wondering if anyone caught the virus during the collective bout of laughter described at the above-mentioned Deli; and either subsequently joined the 6,000, or later passed it on to someone else who eventually joined the 6,000. Highly improbable, I hear you cry, and I agree entirely: it’s highly improbable . . but not impossible. And yet.. how boastfully, how gleefully – how proudly, even – the bullied-one related the tale. Reply
