“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!” ...