Ode to Covid-19

Why do you wrack my body so?
Why do you steal my breath?
Why do you tear me from myself?

Pablo Neruda wrote hundreds of odes…
to pianos,
to politicians,
to sadness,
to socks,
to things bloody and torn,
broken and abandoned,
scorned and despised.

This search for meaning
is what makes us human…
one that sets us apart
from other species.
Religion, spirituality,
philosophy, creativity,
love and relationships.
This is our grand tapestry.
This is, indeed, our birthright.

And so,
this is my ode to Covid-19.
This is my ode to isolation.
This is my ode to uncertainty.
This is my ode to resilience.
This is my ode to life.
L’Chaim… to life.