“Confetti Storms”

 “Confetti Storms”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Confetti storms twirling disco balls 

corks popping banging on pots 

nonstop binge watching

spare plots still at large ...

“A Great Reminder”

 “A Great Reminder”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

A great reminder 

hiding like none-the-wiser leviathans

never transcribed songs gone silent

El Sol rising ... 

“ A Variant Viral Form”

 “A Variant Viral Form”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

A variant viral form cases soaring 

millions lost both rich and poor 

all longing for turning points 

gorging on dark chocolate 

back dooring brown and pale ales 

restoring grandstanding sass

via a fast-tracked vaccine ever after ...

“Vaporous Infiltration”

 “Vaporous Infiltration”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Vaporous infiltration virus penetration 

smokey undulations hellish incineration 

belching methane encircling the Equator

whizzing through space at a tragic pace 

birthplace desecration pluming flames 

noxious exhalation wreathed in grievous grays ...

“Revisiting”

 “Revisiting”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Revisiting the serious/alarm bells ringing/with new words for misery/doom-scrolling mask-hole/Zoom- fatigue/spilling over/building morale/a bit more bearable/like making bail/via word slang/as worry gives way to wordplay/in a postvaccine world/of everlasting quasi-normality ...

“Set to Lapse”

 “Set to Lapse”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

No hint of future plans forcing stopgap 

stress factors passing through two Bethlehems

experienced behind scratched plexiglass 

hi-fiving Santas wearing reindeer antler face masks

scavenging for cats owls and rabbits 

stopping traffic between Jolly and Nazareth 

donning black armbands for days thereafter ...

“Forebears”

 “Forebears”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Forebears wearing warm mohair

hosting post-hippie ethos

throwing holiday bowls flecked with gold 

adapting to Covid moment-to-moment 

lying prone eyes closed

on a sectional sofa of red-velvet festive Noels ...

“Blinking”

 “Blinking”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Blinking sideways in flight standing to landing

crossing paths mixing tales four times faster 

all at a glance spotting napping whales 

attaching cameras to humpbacks

tracking habitats with a tag and a slap 

avoiding its flapping tail

understanding gargantuan mass strandings...

“Eyeing the Exits”

 “Eyeing the Exits”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Eyeing the exits a feast for the eyes

a twinkle in one’s eye having stars in one’s eyes 

as far as the eye can see averting one’s eyes 

all eyes ay yi yi ay ay ay aye yai yai ...

“An Infusion”

 “An Infusion”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

An infusion of buoying relief  for “We the people” 

negotiated over take-out slices and spiked moonshine 

enabling legislating over a midnight deadline 

while turning on a dime ...

“Vacant Chairs”

 “Vacant Chairs”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Vacant chairs scant tables raging contagions 

postponed vacations cancelled celebrations 

avoiding hugs and hand shakes 

remaining masked warding off anger and sadness

joyfully recalling happy hand claps 

and nostalgic pats on the back ...

“Clawing”

 “Clawing”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Clawing at thorny sticking points 

pushback backlash 

a raging “Troller-in-Chief” 

stoking the wrath 

of grievous conspiracy factors 

as his last best chance 

to tear at our social fabric ...

“Adding Millions”

 “Adding Millions”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Adding millions of doses/jockeying for shots/prompting careful monitoring/for anaphylactic shock from “stabilizing molecules”/hunkering down with asterisks/due to catastrophes/clinging to spring/overcoming cumulative fatigue/fight flight or freeze/internalizing mortality/no heartbeat no breathing no brain activity/as the ultimate in “social distancing”/being given the epitome of a lingering round trip/via boosted immunity/administered in a needle and a syringe ...

“Conjuring Cheer”

 “Conjuring Cheer”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Conjuring cheer fresh-cut trees wreaths and greenery 

channeling sparking tinsel imagining healing magic

granted in an enchanted Santa’s Sack ...

“Staring Down”

 “Staring Down”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Staring down logjams 

paring down stimulus demands 

hammering out wrangling details 

confounding hacker malware 

forming catch-all recovery plans ...

“No Small Task”

 “No Small Task”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

No small task building bulletproof programs/in emergency management/in high demand/no matter how bad/brandishing pistols in both hands/“Kill me! Kill me!” death wishes planned/leaving crowds scrambling/taking cover behind trees/ emptying a suicide-by-cop gunman’s backpack/containing a canister of gasoline/rope knives and a Bible/fatally staged in a deranged Portal of Paradise ...

“Peevishness Over Reason”

 “Peevishness Over Reason”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Peevishness over reason leaving behind 

landlines of misery eviscerating reality 

via vandalous retaliative trails 

of lame-duck-planted booby traps ...

“Ramping Up”

 “Ramping Up”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Ramping up cutting back touch down 

back-flipping vaccine app 

wearing masks washing hands 

cardboard fans talking trash ...

“Kicking Off”

 “Kicking Off”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Kicking off raging on rolling out 

disproportionate high stakes uptakes

ungainly waves underway 

barely contained unsubstantiated claims 

aping fraud allegations

straining public faith being taken to the grave ...

“Drawing Ire”

 “Drawing Ire”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Drawing ire daily reminders 

perils of deciding m

paying the price 

to a bona fide

defeated

“Commander-in-Chief”

screaming, “Capeesh?!” 

to the Grand Old Party

unseemly acting, “deef”

 to “We the people” ...

“A Monthslong Slog”

 “A Monthslong Slog”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

A monthslong slog of, “Now whats?!”

asking, “Will vaccine promises

be graded as,  ‘pass/fail’ due to last-minute snags?”

breaking daily death marks 

becoming hobbled by small shot allotments 

by Big Pharma ending in false positives 

and the execution of search warrants in a lockdown...

“Tallying”

 “Tallying”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Tallying lagging postmortem data 

promoting vaccine raffles as a stratagem 

for managing forecasts podcasting the odds 

of bellyflopping star-hoppers getting swallowed 

whole by massive black-hole Coronas ...

“Difficult or Impossible”

 “Difficult or Impossible”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Difficult or impossible/overwhelmed hospitals/rationing triage in raging hot spots/frantically beeping alarm monitors/ asking, “What planet are you living on eating maskless in a crowded restaurant?”/imposing brutal public policies of shaming Puritan stocks/versus less harsh health policies of more effective nuance/via acknowledgment of reducing potential harm ...

“Cracking the Glass”

 “Cracking the Glass”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Cracking the glass crashing guard rails 

jarring passages hurtling barriers 

moving the masses devils’ details 

putting the kibosh on 

pics picks in a parlor 

inscribed on stone markers 

served up on the rocks ...

“In the Midst”

 “In the Midst”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

In the midst of deadly metrics making little sense 

limiting affordable access to critical medicine 

due to intellectual property projections 

becoming punishingly expensive 

in a global pandemic creating a mathematical 

remedy of  “Swiss Cheese Respiratory 

Pandemic Defense” representing protection 

from cumulative errors and adverse events ...

“Final”

 “Final” 

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Final days of rage relentless campaigns 

of vindication and vilification 

promoting false claims railing against fate 

in the late stages of seizing on grievances 

refusing to concede vowing to repeat

like Grover Cleveland ...

“Underlying”

 “Underlying”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Underlying, “Who survives?”

hospitalizations on the rise 

losing sight of signs of the times 

relying on balmative hodgepodges

of  Classic Honky-Tonk Hip-Hop 

Hard Rock and the “Messiah”

as dotted or double-dotted calmatives...

“Shuttered In”

 “Shuttered In”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Shuttered in roped off 

far away from red zones 

eluding spiked microbes 

gamboling inner roles 

hermits gone rogue 

posting poems...

“Nearly”

 “Nearly”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Nearly doubling the peak/retrieving bodies/ grim viral reapers/staggering casualties/death tolls climbing/eye-popping outliers/struggling to keep people alive/ infecting more than a million weekly/victims sent home and watched closely/post emergency triage at overburdened hospitals/falling short on nurses and doctors/mirroring rolling out vaccines/targeting comorbidites/obtaining maximum immunity/looming availability/reaching the heights of absurdity/tightly controlled “bubble” environments/ jury-rigged lowlights televised live at giant felled tree lightings ...

“Cursive Text”

 “Cursive Text”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Cursive text

hot-button temperature checks 

for presidential party guests 

mimicking “superspreaders”

making no mention of the pandemic 

flouting protection 

uncowed by mounting death ...

“Don’t Forget”

 “Don’t Forget”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Don’t forget to give credit to adding dimensions

to the day-to-day aesthetic by melding elements

of warm remembrances via assemblages 

of everything — even the messily 

inevitable rough edges ...

“Warm Praise”

 “Warm Praise”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Warm praise feeling drained as educators 

switching back-and-forth between 

in-person and online teaching 

workloads doubling

weariness surging 

locking and loading links 

endangering well being ...

“Gathering”

 “Gathering”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Gathering size limits 

viral upticks split decisions 

houses of worship proximity risks 

dissenting opinions ...

“A Sharp Turn”

 “A Sharp Turn”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

A sharp turn up to a staunch launch altitude 

orderly unwavering unfaltering 

acknowledging experience and accomplishments 

taking charge urging cooperation easing gridlock 

VERSUS

no-holds-barred harmful gossip 

botched Corona responses unapologetic hypocrisy 

re-targeting lame-duck dollars affording pardons ...

“Pardoning a Turkey”

 “Pardoning a Turkey”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Pardoning a turkey named, “Peas”

unfortunately “Carrots” refused to concede 

as hammy pageantry remarking grandly,

“It’s too bad for Carrots —

I hereby intend to pardon 

myself as a lame-duck president” ...

“Never Been Harder”

 “Never Been Harder” 

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Never been harder/missing our favorite spots/ fearing harm from microscopic aerosolized droplets/ finding no safe harbors/longingly asking,“Where have all our houseguests gone?”/ aborted gatherings/lacking clatter and buzz/ flirting and laughter/ feeling deep sadness/ empty social calendars/ clamoring for human interaction/ having to fall back on virtual reality/ imagining big bashes/ post vaccination planning ...

“Exhausting”

 “Exhausting”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Exhausting blowing up norms 

asking imploringly, “Are we free or formless?”

having reached our turning point or melting point 

sadly responding, “By golly” or “Golly gosh darn”

connecting the dots to the hot spots 

of  “Democracy’s Debacle” ...

“Lessening Threats and Tensions”

 “Lessening Threats and Tensions”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Lessening threats and tensions/as a subversive sitting president is reckoned, “irrelevant”/dispelling lame-duck “hysterics”/as the 46th president elect compellingly pushes ahead/rationally combating infectious spread/effectively developing credible economic recovery measures/competently accomplishing remarkable “blockage unblocking”/prompting calmative cooperation/ uncommonly resolved by far ... 

“All But Certain”

 “All But Certain”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

All but certain to fail 

ensnared by unspooling conspiracy strands 

of adamant vanity and intractable madness 

ruthlessly refusing to stand down 

as brutally cruel and inexcusable 

virulent subterfuge of our nation’s future ...

“Disjointed”

 “Disjointed”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Disjointed new norms/compared to, “going to war”/issuing dire warnings of generations lost/ launching more and more mobile morgues/ having failed to fend off onslaughts of fall’s airborne indoors/ raising alert levels/ infections reaching world records/grimly measured as “one death every 17 seconds...

“It’s Last Stage”

 “It’s Last Stage”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

It’s last stage

approval within days

on an emergency basis 

challenged

by securing raw ingredients

and creating

high-quality batches for billions

difficult unpredictable finicky timelines

ticking shelf lives viral rewind ...

“Unhinged”

 “Unhinged”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Unhinged self-pitying tragic trajectory

muddled pleas under siege peevish polarity 

dogmatic rancor democratic collapse ...

“A Yowling Wounded Loser”

 “A Yowling Wounded Loser”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

A yowling wounded loser pooh-poohing unity

treasonously refusing to concede 

Tweeting grievous death-dealing conspiracy theories

maliciously turning a blind eye to a lethal virus

spitefully contravening voter tallies

vindictively breaching national security 

ultimately leaving kicking and screaming 

thereby aiding and abetting our enemies ...

“Muddled”

 “Muddled”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Muddled government beyond worry

viruses surging headlining, “THE END IS NIGH”

for a mask-defying chronic liar whining 

about perceived slights raising anxiety 

via vindictive defense firings enemies hi-fiving 

wryly singing, “Bye Bye Miss American Pie”

divisive voices colliding left and right ...

“Worn”

“Worn”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Worn down by reality 

having been played

by a divisive administration 

launching countless barrages 

of failed electoral litigation

reacting with anger and shame 

making false allegations of fraud 

refusing to pack his bags

in a power grab of faulty math

miscalculating a frantic “Hail Mary” plan ...

“Contradictions”

 “Contradictions”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom-Suzán 

Contradictions episodic glitches in tracking victories 

reaffirming voting security bolstering democracy 

increasing margins of positive possibilities 

debunking conspiracy theories succeeding 

a lame-duck conman counting

on a self-pardon come-on ...

“It Depends”

 “It Depends”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

It depends on the measure 

widespread versus worst off 

tearing across the on and on 

avoidance of problems

second waves knocking 

testing positive

possible lockdowns 

clicking the stopwatch 

scandalmonger-in-chief beating a retreat...

“Unexplainable”

 “Unexplainable”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Unexplainable deranged behavior as a brutal renunciation of electoral legitimacy weakening our abilities to absorb tensions and conflicts as a pathological bridge too far collapsing into the chaotic anarchy of a national calamity...

“Dirty”

 “Dirty” 

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Dirty, as a trick, the equivalent 

of giving the middle finger 

exploiting the law ignoring norms 

losing sorely refusing to concede defeat 

speciously gripping the Grand Old Party 

loathing honoring prior oaths promoting

personal branding as a national political brand

forming a PAC as an off-ramp for push back ...

“Re-engaging”

 “Re-engaging”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Re-engaging with the World re-assuringly 

moving more carefully while making history 

by stepping back from the brink 

facing crises pledging big thinking 

dispelling magical thinking 

determining healthier paths

after climbing out of a raging nightmare...

“Striking”

 “Striking”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Striking a conciliatory tone 

pausing to listen

establishing legitimacy 

trusting instincts for healing 

beginning immediately

eager for clarity 

intermixing tragedy and tradition 

as the mortar to shore up repair and restore 

our fractured national character

at long last...

“On the Cusp”

 “On the Cusp”

by Suzán Jiván Mom 

& Mom-Mom Suzán 

On the cusp of stepping up 

from the destructive bluster of a conman 

applying the soothing balm 

of a calming, “C’mon man” 

president-elect policy ...

“Prolonging”

 “Prolonging”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Prolonging the wait

calmness versus angst 

waxing and waning

presidential administrations 

fluctuating timetables 

patient self-restraint

versus specious allegations 

of fraudulent electoral races ...

“Tensions”

 “Tensions”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Tensions rising races tightening leads narrowing 

uphill battles protesting over ballot tallies

national tabs going up for grabs 

aggrieved masculinity centering on bullying 

plus stinginess with constituencies 

never speaking to diversity strategically Tweeting 

pleading, “Winning is easy - losing is hard” ...

“Edgy”

 “Edgy”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Edgy presidential contests national nervousness expecting the unexpected reality television check ignoring the menace of a deadly spread mocking precautionary measures as shouting people pack close together exposing themselves to infective rhetoric...

“Bracing”

 “Bracing”

by Suzán Jiván Mom

& Mom-Mom Suzán 

Bracing 

for lines and lawsuits 

while weighing the possibilities 

of a flip district to district 

trying to stay calm 

toning it down a notch 

hoping to vote out

a boastful POTUS poser ...

“Uncertainty”

 “Uncertainty”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Uncertainty 

weighing heavily 

in a gut-wrenching race 

“It’s getting crazy in the battleground states!”

monitoring pop-ups 

emptying ballot-clogged drop-off boxes 

as nonpartisan jobbers 

process scanning bars 

in darkened public-works garages...

“Bolstered”

 “Bolstered”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Bolstered

raising hopes 

of containing democracy’s erosion 

turning out in droves 

both important and appropriate 

as strategies of battling 

“election stress disorder”

gaining strong support

restorative citizens’ voices ...

“Anxious”

 “Anxious”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mon-Mom Suzán 

Anxious 

pushing through challenges

coursing to surpass 

150 million votes for the first time 

during a surging virus 

threatening to destroy our sense of time 

isolation monotony chronic stress 

feeling a passive sense of forward progression 

days bleeding into weeks blurring boundaries...

“Increasingly Untethered”

 “Increasingly Untethered” 

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Increasingly untethered obvious nonsense 

ludicrous fabrications lashing out wildly 

with totalitarian mindsets attempting 

to scare voters about bad things 

that aren’t happening while losing out standing 

meekly asking, “ Will truth prevail in the days after?”

“Lackadaisical Cruelty”

 “Lackadaisical Cruelty”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Lackadaisical cruelty 

selfish cupidity 

protected elites 

pointed digs 

partisan splits 

victims of disease

at “warp-speed” ...

“The Red Mirage-The Blue Shift”

 “The Red Mirage-The Blue Shift”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

The red mirage-the blue shift

52 Yeas - 48 Nays Senatorial votes

ceremonies being blatantly staged in the dead-of-night for a confirmed lifetime court justice right hand raised fingers splayed left hand lying flat on an upside-down primer at The White House ...

“Ripped from History”

 “Ripped from History”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Ripped from history anarchic power and influence 

giving us, “the willies” hospitals reaching their limits 

in spite of magical thinking and extreme, “what ifs“

as immediate, “givens” with nothing, “off-limits”

resulting in tumbling into digged

ditches “willy-nilly” ...

“Raising New Questions”

 “Raising New Questions” 

by Suzán Jiván Mom

& Mom-Mom Suzán 

Raising new questions

of anti-venom contests 

stumping in a pandemic 

facing existential threats

of a death-dealing

incumbent president 

voters’ lament,

“Gimme Shelter” ...

“Fits of Magical Thinking”

 “Fits of Magical Thinking”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Fits of magical thinking 

leading to relentless upheaval 

self congratulation shifting blame 

leveraging personal gain 

raising unsubstantiated claims late in the game ...

“Narrow and Difficult”

 “Narrow and Difficult”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Narrow and difficult 11th hour disruptions

unpopular incumbents candidates stumbling 

on the stump being out-hustled getting lit up 

by an out-to-lunch huckster over due for punishment 

being confronted by a Hydra of troubles 

becoming zombified adults consumed by worry ...

“Can’t Help Whispering”

 “Can’t Help Whispering”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Can’t help whispering hoping for a landslide victory 

fearing overconfidence or overreach 

coming closer to punditry shifting of thinking 

doing back flips after an outright win 

counting the wide-eyed stares having captured 

palpable commonality warding off electoral calamity 

forestalling democratic collapse ...

“Tossing Table Salt”

 “Tossing Table Salt” 

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Tossing table salt knocking on wood fingers crossed superstitious sorts witchcraft sorcery credulity fallacy 

touching lockets for luck a Cyclops has just one rather than a twosome never say, “Happy Birthday”

too early whistling indoors invites evil summoning demons 

wishing death upon people never sleeping with your head to the west gifting yellow 

flowers is never a nice gesture as friends are cursed with infidelity 

wearing wedding bells on dresses ...

“ Fearing ‘Blood Bath’ “

 “ Fearing a ‘Blood Bath’ “

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Fearing a ‘Blood Bath’ taking a final stand 

against warped fantasies lies brutality incitement 

as a “BOGUS HOCUS POCUS POTUS”

faces indictment due to the inhumane violent crime 

of claiming a pliant virus will make a magical 

disappearing act with an unmasked cavalier abandon...

“Secret Meetings”

 “Secret Meetings”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Secret meetings stocks teetering

Covid-19 climbing toward a third peak 

“Little Shop: Big Relief “ man-eating 

under quarantine @ the Weathervane Theater

in the mountains of New Hampshire 

far from the aerosols of singing 

laden with leaf peepers ... 

  

“Running Roughshod”

 “Running Roughshod ”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Running roughshod across knotted racial yarns 

having yielded chaos directly in response 

to, “Am not!” charging “dot dot dot”

campaigning over overarching safe harbors 

throughout a grueling stumping process 

including intolerable Zoombombed 

comments, “Go pick your cotton!” ...

“Capturing”

 “Capturing”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Capturing consequential events hearings protests 

overall nonsense of refusing to reveal tests

as tellingly blatant exceptions

for an incumbent president 

feeling powerful at packed rallies 

POTUS’s voice sounding scratchy as no small matter 

still seeking adulation from manic fans 

openly chanting into an alternate reality of the ghastly...

“Stark Departures”

 “Stark Departures”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Stark departures misrepresented comments

of painted ideologues blindly partisan

red-hot zealots seeking compromise

as, “Out of the question!” heavily in debt

pictured like ripened kinds of cherries

rendered like collective red devils...

 

“Appearing Manly”

 “Appearing Manly”

by Suzán Jivan Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Appearing manly refusing to wear a mask 

as a threat to masculinity hiding the fear 

of seeming weak practicing wacky 

pandemic actions draped in flags 

channeling power as symptomatic 

knee-jerk reactions and frazzled disappearing acts ...

“A Growing Sense of Dread”

 “A Growing Sense of Dread”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

A growing sense of dread 

in past present and future tense 

failing to contain the spread 

blocking requirements of wearing masks 

carrying the mantle of erratic strategies 

fighting tooth-and-nail 

bearing aggressive electoral tactics 

declaring,”Go to the polls and watch carefully!”

while trailing nationally

and assaulting mail-in balloting 

holding reckless rallies 

broadcasting tearing off masks 

talking, “Smack!” ...

“Bristling with Scattershot”

 “Bristling with Scattershot”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Bristling with scattershot 

dismissing the virus again and again 

rippling across the Sun Belt 

presidents in deep distress

VP’s complicity deemed, “chilling”

and arguably even more evil 

while lying and dodging 

with silverhaired gladhanding civility 

repeatedly denying involvement 

responding diabolically,

“Golly gosh darn - I haven’t the foggiest!” ...

“In Plain Defiance”

 “In Plain Defiance”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

In plain defiance presiding over catastrophic failures 

and false narratives having to ban political ads 

on social platforms after hitting rough patches 

while asking, “Is the Electoral College 

democratic or patently unfair?”

declaring, “It’s a jerry-rigged ‘It’ factor!”

like the incumbent “45” as a hazmatted example ...

 

 

“Rearranging Facts”

 “Rearranging Facts” 

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Rearranging facts as a maniac pattern 

on potent cocktails of viral affairs

obsessed with denial

donning lengthy neckties 

in avoidance of Science 

fumigating The White House

with potent sanitizers ...

“Infuriating”

 “Infuriating”

by Suzán Jiván Mom

& Mom-Mom Suzán 

Infuriating unchastened

negations of contact tracing 

in an outbreak of high-stakes

White Houses gone viral

while performing figure eights 

and going to baroque lengths 

despite a contagion of lives claimed ...

“Getting Cagey on Questions”

 “Getting Cagey on Questions”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Getting cagey on questions of testing 

saying little about expert steps of prevention 

having taken erroneous measures 

regarding health threats as the president 

faces off with the genuine peril 

and lethal consequences

of following off-the-wall concepts 

equated with the playing of dicey board games 

like Monopoly and Yahtzee ...

“Making Hay”

 “Making Hay”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Making hay harvesting false information 

occasion upon occasion campaigning 

while traipsing with slang phrases

warranting an “X”, say as a makeover 

result, maybe, made with reservations

aka “The Plague” ...

“There’s Just No Getting Around It”

 “There’s Just No Getting Around It”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

There’s just no getting around it 

having few, if any, close contacts 

distancing, masking, washing hands 

noses in the air laughing at a cartoon character 

with a noted football prank ...

“Vandalizing Principles”

 “Vandalizing Principles”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Vandalizing principles looking and listening 

to stimulus stymieing and upended elections

as a self-centered petulant hector of a president

undermines elections while supportive supremacists 

simultaneously yell, “We will kill you!” in a nutshell...  

“Unheard Of”

 “Unheard Of”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Unheard of like the drowning out by a clown

seeking refuge in a scrum but never stumbling 

in avoidance of the chum while trampling on decorum

spouting volcanic crosstalk

offering zingers upon falling short

in woefully high numbers 

going up in virus pixie dust 

arms thrown up in disgust,

“Will you shut up!!!”

having passed the dribble test with flying colors...

“Messaging in Code, Maybe”

 “Messaging in Code, Maybe” 

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Messaging in code, maybe as a soothsayer

on an odd-and-ends storyboard 

implied but not stated 

having prelaunched divisive names 

into presidential debate preparations...

“Fighting Tooth and Nail”

 “Fighting Tooth and Nail”

by Suzán Jiván Mom

& Mom-Mom Suzán 

Fighting tooth and nail

mishandling public policies

all to a cacophony of viral harm

as presidents rev up red parties 

perpetually living, “in the red” ...

“Stoking Doubts”

 “Stoking Doubts”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Stoking doubts slings and arrows 

as misleading notions at the polls 

floating caricatures of opponents 

locals vowing to vote in droves 

staying close to home 

in avoidance of nightmare viral scenarios 

glaring ransomware delayed mail 

failed contingency plans —

“Don’t forget to vote as early as you can!” ...

“Nudging Justices”

 “Nudging Justices”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Nudging justices

questioning the judgement of going younger

gingerly broaching the subject over lunch 

having kept the meeting secret from the public

having become sullen at the all-of-a-sudden rush 

towards the obstruction of women’s 

rights of reproduction ...

“Doubling Down”

 “Doubling Down”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Doubling down on a dangerous stance 

scrambling and fanning uncertainty 

via “naked ballots” and flooded snail mail 

falsely claiming, “SCAM!”

all for political advantage 

bragging as unabashed madness 

erodes democratic rules and standards 

lapsing into a calamitous anarchical collapse...

“Refusing”

 “Refusing”

By Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Refusing the peaceful transfer of power 

discrediting free election results 

demeaning the public trust 

disrespecting outcomes 

seeding doubts via viral Twitter accounts 

“You’re going down without a doubt hands down” ...

“Risking Illness”

“ Risking Illness “

by Suzán Jiván Mom

& Mom-Mom Suzán 

Risking illness

government indifference 

densely populated districts

condemning millions 

hardest hit with stigma

and a gloomy sense 

that the worst is still ahead

morning residents 

in need of a sobfest ...

“Lining Up”

 “Lining Up”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Lining up pressing ahead 

paying respects to history’s precedents 

of flip-flopping on lame-deck sessions 

after breakneck justice selections 

swaying sentiment and influence 

in deference to zero evidence 

for so-hard-to-tell alternatives to “lol” ...

“Worries”

 “Worries”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Worries of a resurgence spurred 

on by a worldwide lethal virus 

misaligned behind the minimizing 

of masked ways of life 

tiptoeing around vaccine timelines 

while “warping” the science of vaccine trials...

“ A Deeper Unraveling “

 “ A Deep Unraveling “

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

A deep unraveling federal paralysis 

a mammoth warming of our planet 

nurturing panic tearing at our social fabric

lighting fragrant candles of lavender...

“The Cause”

 “The Cause” 

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

The cause was complications due to a “faker”

forever stained by the outrageous 

claims of obliterating a nation 

convulsing in “hair-raising” pain

while, “on one’s way out, say” ...

“Given the Constrictions”

 “Given the Constrictions”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Given the constrictions of now-win 

blind-spot juxtapositions

as perniciously lingering micro organisms

mimic minimalist bare-bones thrillers 

while malicious leaders 

blow coded dog whistles...

“Clamoring”

 “Clamoring”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Clamoring for, “The facts mame, just the facts”

slapping down masks and red-orange maps 

recording horrific damage growing angry

tracing contacts after ranting over mixed bags

of recalibrated answers declaring, “It’s a wrap!” 

“Shifting Erratically”

 “ Shifting Erratically “

by Suzán Jivan Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Shifting erratically warming rapidly 

closed to traffic stalling landfalls 

lumbering storms surging flood waters 

fingers crossed ...

“Forging Laws”

 “Forging Laws”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Forging laws stimulus talks of loss 

striking down “stay-at-home” orders 

“Th-th-th-that’s all folks!” 

for nearly maskless indoor supporters 

ignoring warnings issuing threats of sorts 

keeping score in Tweet storms 

and torrential run-offs

of electoral blood sports 

call in the cadaver dogs ...

“Habitat”

 “Habitat”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

Habitat up for grabs news traveling fast 

intelligence gathering keeping track 

bilateral half male half female 

hormonal cocktails, “ You there!” 

“ All Too Real “

“ All Too Real “

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

All too real the worst year of disastrous overlappings

being smothered in smoky blankets rolling blackouts 

accumulating catastrophes simultaneous crises 

unwitting whiplashing uninhabitabilities ...

“All But Guaranteed to Fail”

 “All But Guaranteed to Fail”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán 

All but guaranteed to fail as a substantially 

scaled-back “skinny” stimulus plan

“Not a chance!” Increased anxiety and sadness

post chanting, “The devil’s in the banned details”

of intensive care yielding to body bags 

not wearing masks scrambling into empty stands...

“ Even More Reticence “

“ Even More Reticence “

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Even more
reticence
postponed
adjourned
delayed

yielding
disastrous
inaction

being stranded
by paralysis
falling out of grasp
panicking asking,
“Knock knock —
Who’s there ?!” ...

“ Bearing in Mind “

“ Bearing in Mind “

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Bearing in mind
situation dire
shots fired
hand-to-hand fighting
maligned terrified lives
enshrinement
hiding in plain sight
sounding a fife
piercing the bottom line
somersaulting dives
while airing virtual lives
gone viral ...

“ The Strange Grief “

“ The Strange Grief “

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

The strange grief of losing
the ability to smell or taste
sniffing the fragrance
of champagne  as “smell training “
commiserating with strangers
chocolate tasting like chalk
whiskey like water ...

“ Dreading the Potential Spread “

“ Dreading the Potential Spread “

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Dreading the potential spread
of exacerbated tensions
in the final stretch of quelled unrest
intensely wrestling with a hotly contested,
“ Just what comes next?! “
hesitantly ending eyes welling up
with, “Sure, I guess ... “
along with little consensus...

“ Lurid Fantasies “

“ Lurid Fantasies “

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Lurid fantasies
invisible anarchists
rapid snap backs
in bulletproof-
glass nightmares
like coin flipping,
“Heads or tails”
with no fans
in the stands
daredevils
catching air
in intergalactic
wind jams
all on a dare ...

“It Was a Fiasco”

“It Was a Fiasco”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

It was a fiasco
without a doubt
as it turns out
taking zany action
soft takes
making haste
going stir crazy
getting tricked
into participating
showing utter dismay
yet abstaining
from consolation
by faking the blasé ...

“ Twisting Facts of History “

“ Twisting Facts of History “

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Twisting facts of history
with malicious leanings
all towards fiction and fantasy
like a space force, informally
calling, “Safe!” Or “You’re out!”
followed by, “Roger that” ...

“ Floating Conspiracy Theories “

“ Floating Conspiracy Theories “

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Floating conspiracy theories
helicopters buzzing overhead
seeding infections
super-spreading
daze of reckoning
going off of the deep end
with shortness of breath
negative positive right left
looted treasures
as core references
bound together
by icky memories
of butting heads
totally out of sequence
while burning
the menacing contents
of “better NOT a robot” ...

“Fringe Theories “

“ Fringe Theories “

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Fringe theories
unleashed upheaval
twitchy jerky
demagoguery
lye, chemically
interjecting,
Heavens-to-Betsy
personal vendettas
as more dreadful
than ever stage-directed
disappearing pandemic
deaths revealing,
“The president
won’t eat off of a plate
touched by a friend” ...

“Serving Up Malarkey”

“Serving Up Malarkey”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Serving up malarkey
at egomaniacal jubilees
most pointedly about, “I” back biting
warring factions power grabs
battering rams mashups of white fat cats
high on flash while scrapping slangily ...

“ Quickly Concocted “

“ Quickly Concocted “

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Quickly concocted
not living up to its promise
called a cockamamie flop
affecting people at large
when the ball is dropped
in a sappy rom-com
while raising the bar
based on trading card
alternatives to boycotting
Pokémon, asking,
“Who calls the shots
in an Iditarod?” ...

“ A Night of Norm-Busting “

“ A Night of Norm-Busting “

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

A night of norm-busting
sitting cheek-by-jowl
cheering shouting
at the “People’s House”
rallying unreality
up and down a rarified ballot
launching searing attacks
in front of a mostly maskless crowd
unveiling, “THE NASTY”
trampling mass casualties
radically re-branding
smash-mouth presidential actions
deemed, “Highly Embarrassing” ...

“Sweeping Ashore”

“Sweeping Ashore”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Sweeping ashore
surging water
grave warnings
mandatory
early-morning
evacuation orders
as an enormous
eye wall makes landfall
spouting “LAW AND ORDER”
for four more years
while Category 4 Laura roars
as the steward of a destructive course
violently spinning with alternate histories ...

“Breaching Boundaries”

“ Breaching Boundaries “

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Breaching
boundaries
swerving
swirling
Category 4’s
fleeing storms
making landfall
fewer people
greater protocols
prepared
in minute detail
changing
and re-changing plans
polished
by pandemic
production standards
claiming,
“ Things aren’t so bad—
well not that bad! ”
as botched realities blare
and red rockets glare”...

“ Making It Plain As Day”

“Making It Plan As Day”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Making it plain as day
laying waste out of place
inane unsafe false claims
unfounded allegations
staging radical breaks
of utter mayhem
reluctance to make
eye contact, maybe ...

“Daunting”

“ Daunting “

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Daunting
back-and-forths
suspected poisoning
agony upon takeoff
falsely called
“a metabolic disorder”
impious fingers
pursed
on diabolical lips ...

“ Cast as a Rescue Mission “

“Cast as a Rescue Mission”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Cast as a rescue mission
versus the art of the grift
cribbed from a stroller position
questioning stability
dismissing conviction
issuing hardbitten birther myths
expanding the influence
of the super rich
stunting social mobility
worded with “dirty-or-dream”
split personalities’ destinies...

“ Growing Emotional “

“ Growing Emotional “

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Growing emotional
asking, “Just what
does the future hold?”
wilted plants
glue traps
office addicts
hand-numbered batches
patch-pocket
matte waxed cotton jackets
branded black polished nails ...

“ Who Spoke Most? “

“ Who Spoke Most “

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Who spoke most?
hitting home
moreover
with corny jokes
as redeeming
moments
for winning
anecdotal votes
riddled by polls
likened to hearing
key-note speakers
on hi-def screens ...

“ Turning to Seals “

“ Turning to Seals “

by Suzán Jiván Mom
and Mom-Mom Suzán

Turning to seals for help
cold and roiling waters
sheathed in sea ice
swimming dining
on fish and squid
surrounded
by colonies of penguins
living off of jellyfish
as seals wear tracking caps
surface and sink
measuring depth lateral distance
water temps and salinity
emitting precise electronic pictures
within the strongest
of mid-winter bone chills
continents shifting
into transmitted circuitry
courtesy of earless elephant seals...

“ Speaking Terms of Endearment “

“ Speaking Terms of Endearment “

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Speaking terms of endearment
like shooting stars, some might think
saving locks of hair left way up in the air
for companions of “oohs and ahhs “
morphing into going gaga while gleefully “Ahaing” ...

“Repeated Warning Calls” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Repeated Warning Calls”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Repeated warning calls
eagles hawks soaring
sequel to sequel
screeching agape beaks
outstretched wings
circling ceaselessly...

“Calibrated Stealth” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Calibrated Stealth”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Calibrated stealth
hashing out thorny questions
with interminglings of empathy
prodding behind the scenes
under conditions of anonymity
beneath strict quarantine
while observing political distancing
and offering personal credibility
bound by decency
along with life-affirming themes
stitched together
in a patchwork of truth and meaning ...

“A Virtual Unveiling” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“A Virtual Unveiling “

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

A virtual unveiling
in greenhouse gases
where eating is really weird
without boundaries
of counting calories
pigging out playing out
hour after hour in lockdown
asking, “Do dress codes still matter
or are we getting too lax;
not up to the challenge
of donning fast masks daily?”

“Worrisome Signs” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Worrisome Signs”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Worrisome signs
on both sides of the aisle
blurring our survival
undermining science
denying climate “making light”
of the Coronavirus
minimizing lives
millions expiring worldwide
making “right”
in a “not-so-right-away”
yet claiming to be, “Good-Natured”
spouting grating disclaimers,
“That’s alright, that’s OK,
We still love you anyway!”
monstrous Pom-Pom’s waving...

“A Worsening Mess” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“A Worsening Mess”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

A worsening mess
bottlenecks
backlogged tests
slowing progress
straining food supplies
death tolls rising
hoping to cope
by keeping a diary
“journaling”
versus “jotting”
of everyday life
preserving personal histories
while finding writing
soothing rather than a requirement
it just might help to quiet your mind
and exorcise terrifying times ...

“Ghastly Effects” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Ghastly Effects”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Ghastly effects of the pandemic
plowed under ripe vegetables
millions of gallons of milk
dumped into manure pits
pounds of pungent onions
flung into long trenches
hundreds of thousands
of unhatched eggs
smashed on Easter Day

having been warned early and often
failing to act accordingly haltingly and falteringly
observing weak quarantines
super-spreading social consequences
hijacked cells endlessly replicating themselves ...

“A Collective Trauma” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“A Collective Trauma”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

A collective trauma
getting into the shower
with eyeglasses on
rupturing attention and memory
tight feelings in the chest
under the constant threat
of unrelenting stress
unsettlingly upending
senses of health and wellness
experiencing shortness of breath
and spiking temps living in fear
of the knee-jerk release
of a lethally speedy recovery...

“Victims and Vectors” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Victims and Vectors”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Victims and vectors for the spread
burying unclaimed dead in trenches
voided from memory
preying on propensities
for humans to connect
getting crushed by a pandemic
overwhelmed by requests
for urgent health protection
fatally unable to contain
excruciating pain
coding intubated patients
aerosolized contagions
splattering unmasked faces...

“Mixed and Wobbly” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Mixed and Wobbly”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Mixed
and wobbly
raging on
cardboard
coffins
hoarded
for bodies
on sidewalks

haunting voices
from the plagues
of “Long Before”
having unbalanced
the rich and the poor

more and
more wars
are being,
“called off”
but only
“up-to-a-point”
like more
“off-the-wall”
talking points
also called,
“double talk ” ...

“Never Seen Before” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán...

“Never Seen Before”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Never seen before
bearing the brunt
of no results
in need of comfort
from Cheetos
and Chef Boyardee
highly processed
longer shelf lives
immunocompromised
mouths going dry
one-day death spikes
bodies stacked three-high ...

“Undaunted Warriors” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Undaunted Warriors”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Undaunted warriors
heaving larger-than-life warnings
of deplorably wrongful
ultimately immoral lethal shortfalls
as a betrayal of human life
being seen as a leader’s war crime ...

“An Aura of Control” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“An Aura of Control”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

An aura of control
projecting false hopes
of fake “okey-dokes”
and ratings boastings
standing, “way-too-close”
during “The Era of Corona”
while meandering like lost souls
having been told to “Stay at home”
as narcissistic leaders gloat
housed in gaudy outposts
trophy cocks crowing
echoing grating notes
of depraved public betrayal...

“Burned-Out Cinders” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Burned-Out Cinders”

by Suzán Jivan
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Burned-out cinders
as stacked corona casualties
banished to refrigerator trailers
like the first word in a failed fairy tale
ultimately unable to live, Happily ever after”
raked into ashen pails of despair...

“Flowering Trees” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Flowering Trees”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Flowering trees
dicots monocots
yuccas palms ...

“Clustered in Bundles” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Clustered in Bundles”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Clustered
in bundles
long twisted
conspicuous spines
planted widely
tiny stout spines...

“Polish Oak” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Polish Oak”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Polish Oak
scaly furrowed
terminal lobes
fruits enclosed ...

“The Lillypilly” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“The Lillypilly”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom& Mom-
Mom Suzán

The lillypilly
distinctly weeping
small shiny leaves
lining street
profusions of berries ...

“Grand Fir Lowland Fir” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Grand Fir Lowland Fir”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Grand fir lowland fir
chickadees feeding on oil-rich seeds
deer foraging on twigs and leaves
blotchy resin-bearing pockets
shallow fissures flat ridges
broad bands beneath
pale shiny winged seeds ...

“Redcedar Riddle” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Redcedar Riddle”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Redcedar riddle
alkaline acidic
striking differences
leaf litter
soaking rain
water retained
infiltration rates
increased pore space
micro - and macro -
fauna and - flora
giant sequoia...

“Saving Face Life Saving” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Saving Face Life Saving”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Saving face life saving
exhausting stockpiles in 6 days
updates too late
outdated supply chains
chaotic administrations
scatterbrained data disassociation
sheltering in place
threatening deportation
accelerating graduation
stifling complaints
dying from complications...

“Sudden Shifts” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

“Sudden Shifts”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Sudden shifts in colliding principles
“I’m out! I’m out! I’m out!
on the outs without a doubt
feeling isolated and defiant
caught in denial like the strange
eddies of pandemic history
“It’s better to die on your feet
than in your knees!”
after shaking hands continuously
belittling infectious severity
minimizing deaths
dwindling of the veterans
perishing in once-festive settings
having lost their bets
with the death sentence
called, “Asymptotic Spread” ...

“100,000 Body Bags” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“100,000 Body Bags”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

100,000 body bags
no more breathing
no more talking
no more sneezing
no more coughing
as joblessness soars
and everyday citizens
are asked to wear face masks
bared in pandemic clashes
in order to halt deadly lapses
into graphical pandering
for greater advantages
high-hats versus hard-hats
in social media fads flashing,
“The only card of its suit in a hand”
as fancy-schmancy wear while jabbering
to the top of a wizard’s staff
having been trampled by hashtags ...

“Borderline Critical” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán...

“Borderline Critical”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Borderline critical apocalyptic statistics
corrupt political systems
both an end and a beginning as cyclical
brinks of extinction versus invincibility
opposing briefings mapping bleak trajectories
eerily received beneath quarantine
feeling fear to the nth degree
tsunamic casualties live streamed ...

“Do-It-Yourself Face Masks” ...

“Do-It-Yourself Face Masks”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Do-it-yourself face masks remembering to stagger
the pleats from your mouth to your nose
keeping large droplets from coming out or going in
still sustaining social distancing
continuing practicing hand-washing hygiene
reducing transmitting airborne disease
improvising materials the thicker the better
thin and flimsy offer little protection
pulling a mask on or off or fidgeting
with it will lessen its effectiveness
always remove the mask from the ear loops or the tie
hand-washing it at night letting it air dry
thereby having become more mindful
of scratching your nose or rubbing your eyes
as portals to the body by a lethal virus
unconsciously left behind ...

“Seeing Upticks” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Seeing Upticks”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Seeing upticks
stocks dipping
remaining jittery
staggering volatility
slumping economies
coveting gowns masks and shields
foretelling mass casualties
seeking immediate relief
hearing briefings of “leader speak”
“The end justifies the means”
facing off protective gear ...

“Increasingly Serious” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Increasingly Serious”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Increasingly serious
growing fears feeling panicky
as frantic parents
make remote education plans
suddenly in need of hardware
and apps for advancement
online classes digital formats
video chats blank stares worn masks ...

“Backing Down” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Backing Down”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Backing down
after sitting pat
acknowledging
continuing
social distancing
still needed
over longer periods
offering immediate relief
calling for greater transparency
expanding sick-leave
confronting catastrophe
getting cram courses
for living throughout disasters
after tabulating mass casualties
due to snippets of chemical memory
repeating themselves
with very little left to tell
at the epicenter of grim forecasts
cracked open, as doors, going floor to floor
triage centers, for short
picturing an ailing Mimi
singing to Rodolfo in a garret
in “La Bohème: Donde Lieta Usci”
by Giacomo Puccini,
“Goodbye, no hard feelings” ...

“Shaken Faith” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Shaken Faith”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Shaken faith
demanding compensation
during outbreaks

traumatic contractions
widespread mishandling
harsh reprimands

governance failures
“Can’t make heads of tails
of the situation”

living in a fuming state of lulus
telling doozies in a foul mood
claiming, “Big whoop!”

caught in a loop
calling “cuckoo
cuckoo cuckoo cuckoo cuckoo” ...

“What Lies Behind” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“What Lies Behind”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

What lies behind
hostility to science
inability to look one another in the eye
anxiety-producing times
singing “Happy Birthday” twice
virus testing sites in short supply
fatality rates on the rise outsized headlines
shrinking public life increasing crises
spiking pricing viruses shedding
societies shredding...

“Puzzling Occurrences” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán...

“Puzzling Occurrences”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Puzzling occurrences short trousers broad smirks
binge-worthy weighing in to issue-driven empathy
with a home-spun feel for unique out-of-sync
trajectories hungry for the next big thing
being lubricated by social-media prestige
dark zeal muscling past people insidiously
infectious bickering bantering bullying briefings ...

“Enacting Hard-to-Grasp Packages” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Enacting Hard-to-Grasp Packages”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Enacting hard-to-grasp packages
after total collapse yet having to adapt
to promissory notes attached while tracking data
to fill the gaps attempting to broaden understanding
when it all becomes available after limiting gatherings
to phones and tablets grieving in quarantine
gaming absentees ignoring social distancing
punishable in prison when echoing officials
upon raiding groceries and pitting state-to-state
proclaiming, “Funerals must wait!” ...

“From Morning ‘til Night” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“From Morning ‘til Night”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

From morning ‘til night lost lives
despite having sung, “Happy Birthday” twice
as pathogens shed left and right
not feeling cut out for a virus crisis
hawking silver linings in complete denial
clamoring for blood plasma from survivors
of daily life in real time contemporary light
seen as a sequel title “Another Goodbye” ...

“Double Shifts” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Double Shifts”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom& Mom-
Mom Suzán

Double shifts
filling in
checking in
hardest hit
locked-down facilities
morgues overfilled
trucks backing up
ear-piercing warnings
blinding blinkers
crushed ice
strapping drivers
in disguise ...

“Reaching Grim Milestones” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Reaching Grim Milestones”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Reaching grim milestones
like millions of jobless filings
while empty airplanes
become the “go-to” visual of a crisis
as aerosolized viruses hang in the air
hide under a finger nail
and cling to a single strand of hair
experiencing days
bleeding into one another
MDs helplessly repeating,
“This is a nasty disease!”
feeling “anticipatory grief”
still attempting g to love one another
in-spite of becoming vulnerable
imperiled by imminent calamity
shrinking from bereavement
kept under extreme quarantine
spreading high anxiety...

“Harrowing Increases” ...

“Harrowing Increases”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Harrowing increases
ditching frugality
moments matter
don’t hold back
avoid contact
risk “cabin fever
Prairie madness
or even
the heebie-jeebies”
seek healing
via a virtual reality
series of retreats
themed, “A.I.
versus The Virus” ...

“Striking” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Striking”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Striking a deal reaching a sweeping agreement
under quarantine measured in lost opportunities
going down hill fast with morbid stats and poor habits
single-handedly and under-handedly
relying on magical thinking lifting social distancing
suddenly succumbing to gullibility
soon after the Easter Bunny comes ...

“Ingredients for Habitability” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Ingredients for Habitability”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Ingredients for habitability
as a mishmash of life’s viral factors
peak hours staggering the swell of traffic
supplying adequate computing capacity
to keep from crashing adapting to past failed actions
via distance collaborations limiting idle chats
sharing tips and practices sewing face masks
after manufacturing and supply snafus
posted post mortem as “scrambled spam” ...

“On the Brink” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“On the Brink”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

On the brink
like cadavers
stacked in ice rinks
density being seen
as an enemy
given unusual leeway
to more invasively
snooping later
asking, “Is marijuana
an “essential”
like milk and bread?”
some states say, “yea”
negating the, “naying”
in a pandemic age
urging postponement
of summer games
offering tips on how to stay sane
by exorcizing exasperation
via sensory deprivation
and anti inflammation
while lowering expectations
contained in isolation ...

“When Habits Change” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“When Habits Change”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

When habits change borrowing phrases
as distractions and escapes drifting away
falling away feeling unaccustomed to isolation
missing the rhythms of “Matchday”over days
and days with greater problems to face

where clarity is anticipated
at the epicenter of outbreaks
“Wishing for opening day”
as a paraphrase for “Playing it safe”
heading straight for “The Hall of Fame” ...

“Out of Whack” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán...

“Out of Whack”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Out of whack failed stop gaps
don’t clap yet it cannot stand
phone in hand tree limbs still bare
vernal emergence everywhere
gray scapes converting into green
wild geese honking rapidly spreading
dead nettle predicting harsh steps
of furious suppression requiring intelligence
tracking the spread isolating the infected
shuttering the nonessential protecting testers
developing tracking apps
scanning for “ground-glass opacities
with coarse stigmas attached ...

“The Emptiness Outdoors” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“The Emptiness Outdoors”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

The emptiness outdoors joyless indoors
feeling cut off harrowing choices
of “no choice at all” no honking horns
nor footfalls sniffing of flower stalls
loud alarm calls briskly walking dogs
abruptly laid off missing the endorphins
of power walking turning to taffy
twisting of the facts replete with habits
of blatantly pushing back evoking panic
all with a gravelly accent by contesting
the trigger happy hawking “perception
over reality” ad libbing with a slippery
binky while tripping into a risky odyssey...

“All Ramped Up” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“All Ramped Up”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

All ramped up
with scavenger hunts
along with quickly
diminishing public trust
having been met with bluster
and unproven drugs
naively asking, “Can the games
still go on this Summer?”
feeling sorely vulnerable
and exceedingly territorial
while missing the big picture
for fizzling ill citizens
as health strategists
furtively feel powerless
with thick algorithmic strings attached
to lethally proceeding deliriums...

“Plunged into Disruption” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Plunged into Disruption”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Plunged into disruption
sweeping globally
across countries
gatherings shuttered
as drastic action citizens continue
to grapple with adapting
to “stay-home mandates”
and “Who gets care?”
while preparing dire triage strategies
and making masks by hand
discussing rationing
within critical zones of viral activity
having issued measured
“social-distancing”infection criteria
asking, “Who’s more likely to survive
by following the guidelines when dire crisis
plans are declared, dead-on-arrival live” ...

“Widening Limits” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Widening Limits”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Widening limits
new restrictions
enforcing distance
without all the specifics
admonishing,
“These are NOT
helpful hints!”
injecting liquidity
into wish lists
versus bucket lists
surging
from alerts to alarms
dashing
off memoirs
filled with diabolical
whoppers
in overfilled field
hospitals
being stoked by virulent
pathogens
absent of sentimentality
as haplessly problematic
pandemic management
where “closeness”
is calamitously stamped,
“CANCELED” ...

“Expecting a Surge” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Expecting a Surge”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Expecting a surge
bracing for the worst
battling to be the first
to find the cure
mixed bags
grab bags
black bags
black-magic
rescue packages
ditching the pacifier
without food shamming
shadow boxing on soundtracks
diminishing or absent
as improvisational abstracts
made up of fragments
and spontaneous flashes
weathering while overlapping at random
evoking heraldic banners
flapping with contraband sanitizer ...

“Sitting in the Dark” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Sitting in the Dark”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Sitting
in the dark
jaw dropped
sobbing
“Knock Knock
Who’s there?
Nightmare
Nightmare who?
Nightmare mighty-night
Clockwise demise”
tick-tock horrors
running up the clock
cataclysmically
razor sharp
walloping
coats of arms
coded moms
coded pops ...

“ Tap to Mute” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán...

“Tap to Mute”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Tap to mute not yet approved
needing to be thinking completely differently
living in isolation booths
zooming in to appear in class
when you’re not asking, “Can my cat
ride shotgun while I’m playing
beer pong nonstop in the sidebar?”
proclaiming, “Snitch on!”
donning old gym socks practicing fitness
where it’s bound to be big as protection
from mind-body piracy
deadlift bench press dumbbell
weakening of the evidence
playing down threats slow to prevent infection
wearing table napkins as makeshift masks
feeling stranded in an old western bandannaed disaster
having stood way too close
to cruising scrambled passengers
captains needing to take no further action
taken captive lacking clarity practicing
walking the plank wearing seafaring hazmats ...

“Spelling Out” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Spelling Out”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Spelling out,
“locking down”
capturing fragility
enforcing quarantines
well into spring
experiencing familiar greens
from at least 6 feet
beneath flowering deep-
pink cherry trees
living at opposite extremes
of the dreary
while throwing Frisbees
as the latest spinning routine
for families gleefully
flinging in the clear
lowering anxiety feeling relief
but not too closely
“Don’t escape goat me”
where, “Love is Quarantine”
postponed indefinitely
applying visual mending
patching darning pulling through ...

“Drifting Down” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Drifting Down”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Drifting down
lingering for hours
“GO BIG!!!”

avoid touching
hunkering down
shutting down
chilling out
seeking bail outs
doubling down
locked down

staggering wearing
jack-o-lantern mouths
after gobbling down take out
having waved a white flag ...

“Cramping Venues” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Cramping Venues”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Cramping venues
playing on “e”
hauntingly reeling
roilingly churning
grizzled blues
tatteringly nervous
hurtling gig-to-gig
surging vulnerabilities
running fevers
in close proximity
to illness matrices
immediately
and intimately
grieving vanishing eras
belting wailing and dancing
with fathomless despair...

“Barriers Rising” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Barriers Rising”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Barriers rising worldwide
taking a new line
preying on the desire
to be tightly knit
But will the changes stick?
ticking off limits
game on/game off
pausing reports
heading to court
here and abroad
gathering belongings
of a distancing sort
grinding to a halt
empty sidewalks
feeling worse off ...

“Increasing Gravity” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Increasing Gravity”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Increasing gravity
reflecting urgency
further toughening
greater haggling
increasing distancing
buffeting economies
hackers seeking weak spots
in power grids and election systems
detecting sources of incidents
very thin intelligence
packed with officials
in need of protective gear
sharing snippets strictly
as word-of-mouth decisions
being posted anonymously
via gatherings of fewer than 10 people
befitting a draconian king or queen
drinking corn whiskey made privy
to an even keel of the “eensy-weensy” ...

“Already Contending” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Already Contending “

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Already contending
facing prospects
of pandemics
to hypnotic effect
art and science intersecting
being cobbled together
by removing ourselves
via virtual connections
yielding protections
from bottlenecks
bolstering health
lowering stress
relieving pressure
fostering exceptional longevity
decreasing negative energy
with a vengeance
as an infectious course correction
taking slow steady breaths ...

“Closing In” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Closing In”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Closing in opening lower
attempting to keep credit flowing
forcing a reckoning slipping away
reshaping takeaways ascribing blame
to unconfirmed cases
checking respiratory rates doubling over days
hearing outright incorrect information
from full-of-bull bully bull pits
falling behind on viral testing
sanitizing debates self-isolation
avoiding fate NOT a scientific designation
tiny rock daisies like ghost flowers of climate change
spiking in empty basins as gateway getaways
cloudless shade-less trail blazing ...

“Last Call” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Last Call”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Last call for oxygen tents, for short
like playing, “The fall guy”
in an antsy non-rhyming disorder
kicking the can with salient
anagrams to boot with “fingers crossed”
spouting, “Waste not want not!”more or less
when refusing to answer questions directly
tipping into recession labeling the Fed
Chief, “The Enemy”going head-to-head
lacking fact-checked policy and records
new screenings being put into effect
as cats clean themselves “If I may interject”
a warm welcome elbow bumping nonetheless
toting notepaper that’s usually yellow
penning, “Messed up!” ...

“Sweeping Relief” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Sweeping Relief”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Sweeping relief
declaring emergencies

minus the fans
adding laugh tracks
as isolating habits
for virtual actuals
and sick-day champions

while binging
on “twisty
domestic thrillers”
and hypnotic people
throwing pots

being forced
onto the black market
with a pat-on-the-back brag
during bans on large gatherings
cameras panning ...

“ Free and Widely Available “ by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Free and Widely Available”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Free and widely available in a S.N.A.P
due to coordinating planning seen firsthand
spanning the planet shaking selection chances
tanking I.R.A.’s up-and-down campaigns
off to the races falling approval ratings
seeking “the normal and the sane”
“Stocking your pantry, the smart way”
in enclosed spaces fluctuating
with jet-setting implications
foraging for mushrooms and seaweed
donning goggles on a virtual beach
asking, “What could happen?”
A, B, C or D in the C.D.C.
being kept secret “to a heck of a lot of people”
while modeling diseases
and getting into the weeds
playing G, in the key of C
while hitting the “dastardly” TAB key
along with “alt-shift”  all for food assistance ...

“Cutting Ourselves Off” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Cutting Ourselves Off”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Cutting ourselves off
shutting doors in the Oval Office
offering far-off turning points
dancing bears rather than raging bulls
tip offs being called off in drive-thru Q-tip tests
coalescing in Denver deferring the rest
in week-long recesses without penalty
to the wealthiest Americans mounting evidence
divulged like card games with melds
in scrubbed events adding the punch to punch
being sullied a whole bunch
shares tumbling upended by health threats
and edgy investors curtailing or canceling events
feeling misled fearing infection
“What does this mean for our deficit
as the virus spreads?” tallying related deaths
increasingly drastic measures
seeking leverage for remedies
showing signs of buckling under the pressure
of extreme stress attempting to stem the spread
at the epicenter “What lies ahead?”
Being laid to rest and paying our last respects ...

“Poised to Deliver” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Poised to Deliver”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Poised to deliver coalitions living here
short and lively fortunes sliding
aggrieved outsiders catching up here
flattening the jitters due to virus relief
highly likely to appeal secret grand jury’s
impeachment inquiries denying lying
in prior proceedings still kept in custody
defying subpoenas deemed,
“distorted and misleading”
while making an “ass” out of “u” and “me”
by marketing alternatives to Nikes
as Genius Grant recipients written in modern lingo ...

“More than Fleeting” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“More than Fleeting”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

More than fleeting
widening black and white
decisively defined
moments of triumph
far-reaching feats
unexpected instability
moods of vulnerability
bent on defeat
demanding leadership
double-digit clamerings
to cancel rallies
being taken to task by contrast
as something of an advantage
halting public manners
missed chances stimulus plan
set backs banning gatherings
flagging push back
after building brands
by brainstorming classes
for fans of animal zodiacs ...

“For Reasons of Work, Health or Emergencies” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“For Reasons of Work, Health or Emergencies”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

For reasons of work health or emergencies
feeding anxieties failing to make ends meet
seeking stability spanning history
live streaming yet feeling, “unreal”
after falling to pieces in skirted disagreements
spouting confidence slangily
upon the muffing of something or other
having moved somewhat like molasses
along with a creepy stare
as a “shell’s shell game for example” ...

“Rattled” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Rattled”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Rattled
clamping down
playing down
going round-n-round
signaling slowdowns
imposing lockdowns
paddling an inflatable kayak
avoiding eye contact
speaking to a skull like Hamlet
sadly reciting, “Alas” ...

“A Seismic Endorsement” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“A Seismic Endorsement”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom& Mom-
Mom Suzán

A seismic
endorsement
standing against
border walls
waving
with the crook
of a finger
weighing in
with okra peas
and collard greens
boosted by patting
nearby seats
as a moment
of reckoning
while lacking
in credibility
saying, “We
will see
what happens,
but we
are very very
ready for this,
for anything;
This will end”
(with minimal
intervention)
“It is what it is”
like a flabbergasted
loser to a tortoise
while leaking
as an old faucet.org
knowing how
robbers can get caught
by snobbish sorts
after find their calling
declaring, “Winner takes all!” ...

“Far from Overwhelming” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Far from Overwhelming”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Far from overwhelming
palls of anxiety descending
marrying on Friday
“What will the world look like?”

random interactions
of black magic
on door handles
scrubbing hands
hoarding face masks
toting sustainable
hand bags as sane
spaces between
overreaction
and naïveté
sanitizing cash
taking wider stances
canceling gatherings
practicing foot taps
imagining trumpeting
taps on a large scale ...

“The Weight of History” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“The Weight of History”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

The weight of history
redesigning cosmic ceilings
for buzzing bees and leafy greens
still living under strict quarantine
attempting to curb global warming
issuing appeals for increased sympathy
along alarming stretches of sandy beaches
being eroded by rising seas
salt water licking at trees darkening seaweed
forbiddingly seemed, “ Dead Man’s Fingers “ ...

“Emerging Stalwarts” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Emerging Stalwarts”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Emerging stalwarts
as fast learners
in cursive
like many a password
on world tours
within a flourish
of rehearsals
for prestigious firms
incongruously
themed, “Amor”
while happening
upon happy thoughts
late into the mourning
replete with backstories
entitled, “Not Your Fault” ...

“Piggybacking” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Piggybacking”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Piggybacking microbes
fingertips to eyes
signing mottos:
“Dream Big Fight Hard”
“Heavens to Betsy!”
“Make it snappy!”
while peeking into the rare
at Antiquarian Book Fairs
suitably crammed
into collecting areas
captioned
with imaginary languages
where prices are steep
but the lore is free
for just about anything
in between tedium and discovery
just blocks from the armory
having made it this far ...

“The Declaration Came” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“The Declaration Came”

“Haloed House of Oak Totem”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

The declaration came post outbreak
“Can wellness heal the workplace
while disinfecting your space on an airplane
and mugging for the camera as a maybe?”
by site administrators “Oh, did you start already
like a list ended with exceptional grades?”
one-upmanship say remaining critically engaged
along with the authority of a curator
reaching to the peak of cool diverse tangles in bloom...

“Something Close” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Something Close”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Something close
to unthinkable
paranoia and secrecy
walls rising
drinking bootlegged
iced coffee
while under quarantine
in deteriorating
economies
with clouded legacies

behaving improperly
responding,
“That’s going to leave a mark!”
like circling sharks
and Hartz collar targets
mobbing of harsh
arguments
into loose groups still
living largely
all at the ready to move on ...

“Looser Rules” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Looser Rules”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Looser rules
falling through
fractious wise cracks
after planning huge rallies
while scrambling
rat-a-tat-tat to reprimands
getting corrected on air
score-settling being forecasted
as casualties of falling short
of a winning majority
tweaking surfaces and sneezes
yielding unexpected features
during millions of lab procedures
pleading on bended knee
needled needlessly...

“ A Point of Concern “ by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“ A Point of Concern “

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

A point of concern
disturbing uncertainty
extreme worrying
gene sequencing
hand hygiene
“Covid-19”

akin to constructing
a family tree
retracing history
greeting others
with elbow bumps
and pushing
elevator buttons
with a knuckle

looking clumsy
in the long run
avoiding becoming chummy
asking, “Who am I to judge?”
like an airport bummer
left twiddling our thumbs ...

“Tracking the Spread” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Tracking the Spread”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Tracking the spread despite no known connection
or precise dimensions of the inevitable
under strains of growth and neglect

as undetected infections and unmeasurable threats
of, “The Deadly” feeling under distress
“Just how bad will the outbreak get?!”

Let’s be sensible with steady go-aheads
in retrospect for widespread testing
and circumventing labeling errors

again and again intrepidly expressing
post-testing of flawed evidence,
“I knew it was you!!!” ...

“Overlooked” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Overlooked”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Overlooked
cavorting
and contorting
self-taught
on still-wet
canvas and plaster
over life spans
evoking cracked
and weathered
home-made crafts
scavenged by the handful
via presence and absence
edited at right angles
as seasons’ passing
twirling mustaches
munching Crackerjack...

“So Be It” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“ So Be It”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

So be it running out of people
robots given human features
caught sign stealing
ordered quarantined chained by fear
reeling from the unseen
fighting to be believed
like creepy-scary hospital masks
worn behind glass at sharp angles
panning cameras dovetailing
across scanned foreheads
feverishly en masse ...

“Nearly Helped Topple” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Nearly Helped Topple”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Nearly helped topple visiting flocks
at the Museum of Modern Art
with the moods and pleasures of objects
staking out spots in largish big boxes
replete with harlequins pocked
with sunspots photons and charges particles
gleaming ‘n’ flashing, “Help wanted” ...

“Turbocharged” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Turbocharged”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Turbocharged arias
as memoirs
for imaginary friends
in peril
from self-contempt
due to decadence
plus a prideful desire
to reach way up
to the heavens
when feeling
allegedly threatened
by prophetic
repetitive numbnesses
with penchants
for fearing dreaded
pandemics
screening redemptive
happy endings
for sleuthy
scene-stealing
dogs appearing
in detective stories
on every continent
but Antarctica
post Fat Tuesday
Super Tuesday
plus Two-for-Tuesdays
cleaving dents in the universe
as moments of truth
like cheeky musicals
being played “live”
on cruise ships while living
under strict quarantine
and watching sleeper hits
virally spouting greetings of “Chiao!” ...

“Sharp Jabs” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Sharp Jabs”

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Sharp jabs
angry
crosstalk
messy
forums
disorderly
flailing of hands
and raising of voices
for special forces
along qualification courses
painting garish green walls
unpacking belongings
changing locks on doors
backlogged appointments
neglected for too long
like “big-four”
high-effort
low-reward
entry points
a ways off ...

“Facing Sentences” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Facing Sentences”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Facing sentences
ill-equipped to cope
containing errors
paying respects as a test
like harsh lessons
for warnings and watersheds
across storied stretches
where the hugs never end
with stacks of love letters
left to send read
like coded messages
versus course-corrected
“compassionate directness”
in “micro-steps” at midnight ...

“An Eruption of Cases” (Version Two) by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“An Eruption of Cases” (Version Two)

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

An eruption of cases
in recent days dense populations
fearing pandemic outbreaks
intimating “batty” blame

within months and months of strain
disclaiming making big mistakes
global microbes left uncontained

coping strategies harkening back
to “Dick, Jane & Sally” as practicality
becomes radical gaining in popularity

markedly hesitating
between writing and painting
vainly attempting to make the grade

brightly draped in orange and grape
being chased down as personal favorites
still lacking in explanation
loudly proclaiming, “Let them eat cake!!!”...

“An Eruption of Cases” (Version One) by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“An Eruption of Cases”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

An eruption of cases in recent days
dense populations
fearing pandemic outbreaks

intimating “batty” blame
within months of strain
disclaiming making big mistakes

global microbes left uncontained
coping strategies harkening back
to “Dick, Jane and Sally”

as practicality becomes radical
gaining in popularity
helping private insurers more than patients

markedly hesitating between writing and painting
vainly attempting to make the grade
brightly draped in orange and grape ...

“A Show of Might” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“A Show of Might”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

A show of might
in self-described triumph
being brought back to life
without facing a singular rival
like wonkish fighters
as something out of Shakespeare
or the King James Bible
showing hostility from all signs
defined by framing and light
matters of survival to live and let die
via streaming media devices: “Bull’s Eye!” ...

“Enabling” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Enabling”

by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán

Enabling rather than challenging
after moving to the rafters with cats
across a sodden promised land
as sinking agrarian standards
and autocratic commanders
impose fractious trappings
not honored in democratic practices
weakening “coup-proof” strategies
demeaning political upheavals
succeeding in suppressing anti-regime activities
feeling in need of, “a little help here”
to the nth degree while mimicking an extinct
bird that grew as tall as 12 feet
and copying creatures manically fleeing
with dark eyespots on their wings ...

“Token Words” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Token Words”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Token words
winnowed down
out raised out spent
Sharks vs Jets
ravishing orchestrals
smothering effects
“What happens next?”
“ A billionaire election?”
“Just where are work places equitable?”

kids to the rescue paper backs paper checks
as a solid show ending where resistance is revenge
with scores left to settle like secrets well kept
versus scarlet letters all in retrospect
while questioning, “We can’t joke about that yet?”

“Taken Aback” by Suzán Jiván Mom & Mom-Mom Suzán ...

“Taken Aback”

by Suzán Jiván Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

Taken aback
low-flying caravans
as fantastical paths
of air travel
rethinking taxis
and supersonic
transport impacts
via full-scale
fuel per passenger
prompting pushback
for the new-fangled
pilotless aircraft
immune to voice commands
hailing traffic jams
over hidden valleys
harkening back
to “toodle-oo old chap” ...