Sitting here in Limbo, Waiting for the dice to roll Sitting here in Limbo…… 2020 seemed like another insane, poorly written reality show The Orange King was jumping around the stage Eructating lies in all directions The year-round celebration of wealth, Super Bowl, me two criminals, Oscars Glittering media stars parading in flashing garments And jeweled eyelashes intercut with global warming Stock market soaring and then: The Pale Horseman came to town At first most everyone smiled and lied The Orange King assured us it was a big nothing burger
But Covid soon flowed into all our lives Our screens flashing with red and black numbers Then the Lines of the dead, the diseased the jobs lost, the hearts of the cities filled with silence The ICUs filled with flashing machines and the vicitms No longer could the lies cover the honesty of fear Soon quiet solemn doctors recited the grim truths Except for the Orange King who could not stop yelling obscenities Every night the horseman swung its great scythe And the coffins were shrouded in mass graves The parties have ended, the arenas are empty The true competition of trying to stay alive begins Silence, except the ambulances screaming by The tv anchors have poor lighting, bad makeup, Mumbling behind their masks Some caught the illness, some cried, some tried to comfort us
Now with springtime all around us, Covered with an abundance of green life Are our soft bodies safe from the dread horseman’s hand? But no, even in time of quarantine and fear The police ****** black men Tear gas and fire fill the darkened streets The Second Horseman is now riding Cities are on fire Can those of us who still love struggle towards That far green place, where we all live in justice and in peace? Do we have the courage to carry on? Listening to all of those who have been murdered and exploited? The Gray men with their wealth and weapons think we will forget Smirking and planning their next robberies Both the Horsemen are ready to strike And now is the time for our choice, 1861, 1914, 1939, 1968…NOW. Gibbens 4/3—6/16/20