In Celebration of National Poetry Month: Poet Deliah Lawrence

Thanks to all the poets (Brenda Bunting, Henry Westray Jr., Cherrie Amour, Gilbert H. Richards, Virginia A. Davis, and Terry Wright) who shared their talents with my audience this month and my audience for showing them some love. In closing out National Poetry Month, I would like to share this poem with you.

Invisible Torturer

By Deliah Lawrence

You arrive, sight unseen.

Seething with mass destruction,

Talons stretching and expanding,

From one end of the world to the other.

Likened to the deadliest pandemic:

1918 “The Fearing Time.”

You inflict pain and suffering,

Torturing and tearing families apart,

Those we love both near and far,

Those who risk their lives caring for us,

Those who think they are invincible,

And want to be free.

You baffle scientists,

Grappling to find a cure to fight you,

As new symptoms arise,

Mass testing far away,

We live in fear there will be no vaccine,

On the horizon.

We struggle to stay safe because of you.

As the death toll rises,

We now stand six feet apart.

Quarantined in our homes,

Feeling trapped in our minds,

Counting the many days in isolation.

Wearing masks and gloves,

Everywhere we go,

Stockpiling supplies,

On the hunt for essentials,

Not knowing when you will depart.

Yet, I remain cocooned in my space,

Living with uncertainty,

Steadfast in the backdrop of hope,

I pray with all my might,

You will be eradicated soon.

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