Hope was delivered quickly, mercifully,
as the aseptic needle silently, expertly
pierced the anxious skin of my upper arm
bared to its untattooed, obese reality
and scarred deeply with forgotten badges
from islands and mountains and forests
and caves, with souvenirs and tokens
from clingy rattans, unforgiving wasps,
solicitous leeches, and hyperactive biting midges.
Pushed by magmatic desperation, something
imposed by elected incompetence, fudged
as a destiny of an unfortunate nation,
I toed the line of the long queue, hiding
my rhinitis-ruled nostrils and mustached
mouth from the many dreaded arms
of SARS-CoV-2, uneasily shielding
my embarrassed face from sneezed aerosols.
Aging paranoias of undignifiedly drowning
in one’s own phlegm unconsciously fuel
the tired and greying servant. Respite is not
as appeals for help to ease the burdens
of mountains of debt, and so sadly, yet
the beloved, alone, succumbs to death.
We’re all hostages - and the ransoms demanded
by this protein-coated tyrant are costly,
unjustly. Incarcerated by our fears of being
caught within the nets of this pirate at the sea
of our existence, we are, I am, grasping at all
but the last strands of a rotting rope – hope,
diminishing, flickering hope of salvation
from pathogenic damnation. Come messiah!
Likened to Christmas Stars shining bright,
the sages of Science illuminated our dark night
And through the ***** of a hypodermic needle,
Hope was delivered quickly,
mercifully,
compassionately . . .
This was written immediately after the author got his second dose of AstraZeneca. It was read by the author himself as a contribution to the Virtual Cultural Concert (VCC) held on 09 October 2021. The virtual cultural event was organized by the UPLB Office of Alumni Affairs, and the Classes of 1971 and 1981 in celebration of the 103rd UPLB Loyalty Day (10 October 2021) with the theme “Bigkisang UPLB at Alumni para sa Matagumpay na Pagbangon Mula sa Pandemya.” [Strong Bonds between UPLB and Alumni Toward Victory in Recovering from the Pandemic]. The poem is dedicated to all UPLB Alumni, especially those in the Sciences, Medicine, and allied fields in the frontlines. In Part, the poem is also a thanksgiving to Science & Scientists.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aQv-ZpRqyY