Distanced

I awake with a simple thought,
     sometimes laughing or silently singing,
an advertising slogan, a punchline, or something said
     decades ago.

This condition has accompanied me through the pandemic,
     there is no reason to smile or giggle so freely,
yet I persist, momentarily unconscious that the universe is out of synch.

There is no baseball,
     there are no restaurants fully functioning,
we wear masks, over the ones that everybody wears,
     the Triple Crown is in semi-reverse order,
the first Saturday in May is now in September,
 
The President is mentally ill,
     his condition has infected thousands that are counted in the millions,
there is no football,
     we can no longer take orders,
we take knees,
     even if too many have heads inside poisonous clouds,
there is no basketball,
     in the grocery store, people slink, hug the walls,
and fear to touch what nourishes,

     In the race for dignity and hope, the social conscience has been

                                Distanced.