We heard of the disease ravaging China
And murmured – serves the enemy right
Besides these things keep happening
We had moved on already
We learned of the lockdown at dusk
And scrambled in earnest at the markets
Consoling each other, “It had to be done”
We had moved on already
We worked from home as days turned to weeks
Reading of lost jobs, lost lives – now mere numbers
And pushed the bile down, we had known some of them
We had moved on already
Tired of stifling masks
The ridiculous ban on celebration
We partied as Death danced her dance
We had moved on already
We gasped for breath, there was no oxygen
We cursed God as cemeteries ran out of space,
Numbly stared at the flaming pyres, soon out of news
We had moved on already
We were back at work, busier than ever
The empty seats gave us pause at times
Before being engulfed in business as usual
We have moved on already
