1.
the dogs bark louder
the people pace more
the wind gets wilder

on the third day of curfews
the coping gets hard
the drive seems longer
the outside looks more distant than before we were blanketed by illness

but perhaps sickness has always been there
deadlier, reoccurring, cruel if you weren't born with fair skin
on the North American continent won over through war,
pillaging, enslavement, indoctrination, and more ...
where today you can only breathe heavy air
the hefty sorrow reigns as we try to cradle
the wings of its opposite with bruised
calloused hands

2.
–something good must come of this
something good,
there has been too much suffering
we pray for "something good"
something good must emerge of this

Something good please come of this
our whole bodies feel the weight of a breath cut short
as we should –separation does not exist

something good must come of this because we are all in this together
and it is time we push
add our part
to the great vision of an equitable world

3.
The heavy air makes it hard for your sisters and brothers to breathe
toxic sites scattered through the county  
cardiovascular disease, asthma, and low birth weight babies
being placed into the arms of your kin
the environment reflects the same sickness
steals the same breaths