some float by
untouched
and unscathed
by the Reaper’s scythe.

i suppose
they are fortunate
or maybe just isolated.

my world is large;
much has been lost.

these days
funeral halls stand
empty of mourners
and full of people.

as i scroll through endless ”updates,”
brilliant blue light
keeping me awake
while sending me to sleep,

i see a familiar face.

another lost soul
now lost for good-

an undercurrent,
a side-effect,
an overlooked symptom,
a second pandemic.

even through the pain
he had a smile for me;
i had a tab for him.
we understood each other,
fought the same opponent.

his hands
were too slippery
no matter how tightly
he tried to hang on.

i stop scrolling.

it’s not a matter
of lockdown ending,
he is lost now,
his smile missing forever
from those-tea stained rooms.

i count my years:
five,
and my lucky stars:
boundless.

a chorus of snores fills my ears-
husband and dog,
here in this new house,
in this new life of mine.

and he
deserved so much more
than a blurry photo
and a crying emoji
on a Facebook post
he’ll never see.

but it’s all we have.

another life cut short
like the burned-out lightbulb
you just forgot to change.