the essentials,
compelled by oath and compassion,
run into raging fires
every day, every hour
every time duty calls,
they run.
when towers fall,
they run.
when lightning strikes and thunder rolls
and tall trees crash through walls
of our homes,
they run.
when riptides rise and tornadoes roar
and earthquakes shake the earth to its core,
they run.
when hearts fail and lungs need air,
they run.
when bones break and blood clots,
they run.
when cars crash and trucks roll,
they run.
when panic attacks,
they run.
when maniacs relapse,
they run.

and when a pandemic
rips cities to shreds
from wuhan and cremona
to elmhurst and madrid,
filling hospital beds
with desperate, breathless strangers
chests heaving,
eyes pleading,
“save me please!”

they
run.

ayo.

~ P