GOTHIC PANDEMIC Coronavirus 2020 The images were shocking: birds with hooked or spearing beaks in surgical gowns; catfish whiskers, goggles and shrimp-forks— Hard to believe one t.v. screen could contain such sights. The newspapers were worse, full of holes: piles of bodies spilling through, burning cities and wagons full of bones— And these holes were like windows impossible to close, or turn off— At least I could still read the headlines: tornadoes uproot midwestern lives, locusts in Africa, Moroni dropping his trumpet . . . Here we were only wearing diapers on our faces and the outdoors was closed— But one image I couldn’t get out of my mind: a man with a lute was ignoring it all— Play, Lute-Man, play! Play till the strings grow through your fingers. Play on with your finger-bones. Keep playing till I awake from my sleep. Copyright 2020 David Churchill
Donation Appeal:
Throughout June and July, we will be presenting on this web site work by poets and artists responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you will find these works relevant, comforting and inspiring as we all cope with the economic and health-related fallout.
As you view the work on this site each day, we would like to encourage you to donate to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). Their mission “ is to feed our neighbors in need by providing dignified access to supplemental groceries. AFAC is seeing a record number of families due to the COVID-19 pandemic as families who never thought they would ever be in need are now showing up at our doors for much needed food.” And, in keeping with our hunger-focused efforts, you may also want to visit the Poetry X Hunger website where poems by many poets are posted and are being used by anti-hunger organizations.”
Please consider donating to AFAC. If you do, let us know which poet or artist inspired you so we can send you a personal thank you.
If you send a donation, please let us know.
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