Thinning The Herd
By
Jennifer Lagier
“A community achieves herd immunity against a certain disease when a high enough proportion
of people are immune to the pathogen that causes it, either because they have been vaccinated
or because they have previously been exposed.” – Newsweek
Three days into self-quarantine, a meme
showing one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse
hoarding toilet paper no longer brings laughs.
Grocery stores ration hand sanitizers, water
as panic buying runs off the rails.
Public schools and offices close.
Community events are cancelled/rescheduled.
Social distancing is the new reality
in entertainment venues and gyms.
IMPOTUS III flaunts his exposure
to coronavirus-19, refuses to lay low
or be tested, holds a series
of increasingly deranged press conferences
where journalists have their temperatures checked
prior to admittance, mics cut if they ask questions
that highlight incompetence.
Trumpanzis claim it’s all a hoax,
defy CDC warnings, ridicule prudent instructions
on wearing masks to stay safe.
The rest of us remain home, welcome free time
as we observe pandemic spread of lethal contagion
which validates Darwin’s theories,
thins the ignorant herd.