from Greek pandēmos
pan ‘all’ + dēmos ‘people’
pandemonium in hospitals
panic from empty pantries
pangs and fear from deathly panting
to pan the handling of this pandemic
is not a panacea
Instead
worldwide panels produce scientific pansophy
their panoptic advice must
become a universal pandect
this then, must be the new pantheism
However
like a panda, it is black and white
a giant bear of a problem
a pandora’s box with weak panes
life vs. economics
Because
American panglossian leadership
wears a panoply against criticism and advice
panders to the ignorant
while with great panache
is ever-panegyric
Now
pandemic solitude in death
pandemic solitude in mourning
pandemic untouchables
pandemic untouched
pantheons needed for all lost ones
not unmarked graves
………….
Leslie Sittner’s print works are available in The Apple Tree by Third Age Press (2016 -17-18-19-21), Adirondack Life Magazine, BraVa anthology, and read on NPR. Online poems and prose reside at unearthed, Silver Birch Press, 101Words, 50 Word Challenge, 50 Word Stories, Epic Protest Poems, and Adirondack Center for Writing. A collection of essays about European travels with her ex-husband in the late 1960s awaits publishing. Leslie is currently editing the memoir written by her ancient dog and compiling her own book of haiku with photographs.
This is a clever and poignant piece of writing that gets to the heart of the matter. Well done.