Plague Poems #1

Crown

of protein diadems
on a lipid shell

of infection numbers
topping even its point of origin

of sirens on the streets
overlaying the barren silence

of flashing red and white alarm
on the Empire State building: MaydayMaydayMayday

of blossoms on the cherry tree
outside my window

as Nature goes on
without
us.

–31 March 2020, Brooklyn
© Lee Kottner, 2020