Rachel Amaru’s most recent poem to appear here was “letting go” (May 2020). 

things fall apart / the centre cannot hold
By Rachel Amaru

when a plague strikes
out of nowhere
from a bat
a winged draculean sucking creature
things fall apart/
the centre cannot hold
the aliveness of a virus
a spit being
capable of surviving days
bleach and clorox
often denigrated
too harsh
now lusted for
shelves emptied
all the lovely green lavender ones
still stocked
unwanted
unneeded
deemed useless in the face of this
infinitely tiny creature
invasive
invisible to the eye
demolishing
breaking us down
taking our breath away
lungs unable to suck air
ventilators our new most valued commodity
how in our first world nation
can there not be enough of them
more things falling apart
Xs in the grocery store and rite aid
six feet apart
our new common unit of measurement
not enough for spit to travel between us
no way to kiss across such a distance
we are all like the boy in the bubble
some of us might even want a plastic tent
people’s masks reminiscent of
balaclavas
will someone begin throwing stones?
is there a terrorist in our midst?
at home the center almost holds
fault lines just beginning to appear
out for blood every now and again
as numbers take their toll
graves will be dug and crematories will blacken the air with smoke
and we, we humans
what of us?
waiting for the world to be born again.