Poem During the Plague: Poem 5

Maureen McElroy has an MFA from Emerson College. Her chapbook CAR POEMS was just released through Finishing Line Press. Her poems have appeared in Mothers Always Write, Io Literary Journal, Bohemian Pupil Press, Trampset, Literary Hatchet, Fickle Muses, and others.  She owns Jamaica Hill Realty in Boston and lives in Milton, MA.



Who Knew



Who knew that the condom supply chain came from Kuala Lumpur,
that a pangolin could infect a human,
that a country could shut down in days,
that anyone over 60 was expendable,
that humans would hoard even when their cups overflowed,
that anything but debt could be canceled,
that the least valued labor was the most necessary,
that the canals of Venice could run clean,
that love could be shown with distance,
that there could be a chasm between two people on the same couch,
that bodies create antibodies,
that necessity is the mother of philanthropy,
that silence can be bought with $1,200.00,
that there are helpers and money-makers in every war,
that a bra cup could be a face mask,
that gloves are necessary in Spring,
that birdsong could be so loud,
that poetry could become mainstream,
that we could each come up with something to contribute
if you just give us a minute to think, to breathe,
breath most precious, in and out.
Count it.