“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!!!” ...