Pandemic Prayer
by Amelie Robitaille

 

Fire up the frail     send off in smoky paper dust––

Does it mean something?

Their crackled pores      admit emitted humidity––

                                Where’d it come from?

Eyes’ plastic   melt into elastic ooze that attacks––

                                Who can I blame for all this?

Frayed hair          flayed off for whorish hearsay––

                      Is there a purpose?

Wiped off guppy paint    pressed against a mask––

           Why’s it happening?

Platitudes to press an    unattainable peace along––

    How can we survive?

Notice news with    nothing but numbers to note––

Can we live?

Authorities released their own      hack autopsies––

  Please-

It is not enough.                 It will not be enough.

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Image: Stuart Buck is a visual artist and award-winning poet living in North Wales. His art has been featured in several journals, as well as gracing the covers of several books. His third poetry collection, Portrait of a Man on Fire, is forthcoming from Rhythm & Bones Press in November 2020. He is the art editor for Konstellation Magazine and available for commissions all year round. He can be contacted via Twitter or E-Mail

Amelie is an emerging writer based in Mississauga, Ontario. She is Creative Director and Founding Editor of the Savant-Garde Literary Magazine. She holds a BA in Media Studies from Western University and is currently completing a degree in Creative Writing & Publishing at Sheridan College. She loves cooking, great puns, and cooking up a great pun.