43. Going Viral

out of the darkness | back into

the darkness | the darkness grows

the dead rise up | from the ground

into our nightmares | the dead rise

the dead rise | if they are not dead

we can show them the way | if

there are too few of them | we will

show them the way | death is

good | it gives us life | the space

for a breath | room to roam

why had we not thought of this before?

they die at night | which is right

for the mood | and they die

in the morning too | leaving a little

space we can use | a little space

for someone else | to die | or

to wait to die | to take their draining

breaths | to wait out their | space

in time | to give others enough

room | to slip into | to wait inside of

 

what we need most is breath | air

more than water | more than food

more than love | if you can get it

so we suggest | we only suggest

there is no forcing here | that it

might just be manlier | not to wear

a mask | to show your face | to

stop hiding | and watch the world

to live your life | as you wish

with food and drink and friends

and family | all together | happiness

abounds when you can smell the air

the burgers grilling | the green earth

around you | so give up the mask

and join the living | we are still here

we want you to be here | with us

together we can remake | this world

taken from us | and reveal what

we have so horribly lost | our own

freedom | please don’t wear that mask

 

we understand you are sick | we know

you are having difficulty | breathing

we just think | all these tubes stuck

into and over you | keep you from being

resilient | remember when you were?

you can do that again | you don’t need

this extra air | just use your own lungs

and even if you die | you know god

wanted you to | because he loves you

so much | he just wants you with him

oh the stories he will tell you | millions

of them | going back centuries and

so many stories of those | he helped

bring to him early | those he loved

the most and needed the deepest

and you are one of those | so we

suggest | and we only suggest here

we never require | that maybe you

don’t need that breathing tube

well | that is | unless you hate Jesus