Death by pestilence,
Congealed lungs
And sallow skin
Clinging to bones,
Vacant stares
And empty streets,
Bowls of half-finished
Bat soup on dirty
Tables,
Closed borders
And airports.

They lay dead
In hospital corridors
And cruise ships,
In empty harbours
And empty towns,
Freezer trucks
Lining up
And dead bodies
Being buried
In parks and
Parking lots.

Trump
And the
Demagogues
Argue that
This is not real,
While shoppers
Wear masks
And line-up
Waiting
To shop and
Buy food,
Toilet paper
And cheap
Chinese goods;
All destitute,
Jobless
And newly
Poor.

I drink
My last glass
Of wine
From my last
Bottle of red,
Eat a hunk
Of bread and
Heated beans
Staring down
At an empty harbour
And city streets,
Listening
To classical
Music floating
From a
Crackling
Radio.

I raise my glass
And think of China
And how many
Friends they
Have made
This year;
I drink and live
In hope waiting
For the dawning
Of a new day,
Of a new year.

 *******************************

With a digital drawing from Nikos Laios

********************************

Don't miss Nikos Laios NEW eBook
The Silent Symphony
A collection of poems and paintings,
you can download for FREE, HERE!

********************************

Also check Nikos Laios' EBOOK
Ida & Her Magic Camera
is online now and you can download for FREE HERE!