“Beyond Viral” by Diane Elayne Dees

No one told the termites not to swarm

this year. No one told the crawfish

not to build their towers in my yard.

No one told my dishwasher

not to suddenly grind the glass

that was lodged in its pump,

and no one told my body

not to develop pain and illness

that disrupt everything I do.

This is the truth that flows

beneath any pandemic:

that—despite any immorality,

ignorance, stupidity, or impatience

of the human species—

life courses on. It does not need

our permission to grow cells,

enact survival rituals, or follow instincts.

It does not care if we have paper towels

or shaggy hair or flawed software.

Life will not stand six feet away from us,

no matter how many masks we wear.