By the rivelets from our faucets,
there we sit down, each alone
yea, we weep, when we remember our ordinary lives.
We have hung our car keys upon the mantle
And touch them not.
This virus hast carried away every vestige of normal life
And holds us captive
Each in our own homes
We are left without choir
And yet asked to sing a new harmony
Sing togetherness we are told
But stay each in your own homes
Touch no one
How shall we sing any song in this our now strange land?
If I forget thee, O Coronavirus, then my hands will be unwashed.
If I do not remember thee, then my face will be uncovered.
If I prefer not safety above my usual joys, then surely I might die.
Remember, friends, this virus
spreading across our land
This virus taking our lives, our livelihoods,
our days and our thoughts
even to the foundation thereof.
O ye Coronavirus that needs to be destroyed,
happy shall we be,
when we can hurt and destroy thee as thou hast us.
Happy shall we be, when this newest invisible terror,
perhaps the child of our own imprudence,
is dashed and broken against the stones of science.