Plague Poems

I asked the historian
how she thinks
this moment
will go down in history
and after a moment
the historian replied
that it is unclear how
this moment
will go down in history
but in this moment
in history
all of us are going down.

Should they respond
to your ongoing precautions
by asking if you
are trying to live forever,
take a moment to remember
that the Baltimore Longitudinal
Study of Aging
has connected
a history of infections
with early frailty,
and then tell them
you are just trying to live.

Was 2019
the last “normal” year?
No, 2019 was not
the last “normal” year.
Though 2019
was the last year
in which it was “normal”
to believe crises like these
couldn’t happen to us.

Listen: you must stop
being so superstitious,
there is a perfectly reasonable
scientific explanation
for this morning’s blood moon,
not that such reasonable
scientific explanations
should make you feel any better
about the current state
of our bloody world.

Whatever you say
at this point
do not let it be
“things can’t get any worse,”
for by this point
you should know
things can always get worse.

Apologies, my friend,
but at a time such as this
I do not hope
that you are well,
rather, I hope
that you are angry
and worried,
rather, I hope
that you are saddened
and not numb,
at a time such as this
it would be strange
to hope
that you are well,
but I hope
that your pets are

When I asked for her insights
on this perilous moment
the historian told me
that she used to believe
we would never again
see nuclear weapons
used in a war,
yes, when I asked for her insights
on this perilous moment
the historian told me
that she used to believe that.

When they tell you
(and they will tell you)
that it is ridiculous
to care about viruses
in the midst of a war
calmly but firmly
try to remind them
that pestilence and war
ride together.

My friend, when you hear
the machine men,
with their
machine hearts,
and their
machine minds,
announcing that this year
will be the last year
of meaningful work,
remember, my friend:
that there is no work
more meaningful
than the work we do
to take care of each other.

Though he already knew
the answer,
my work friend asked
if I was still planning
on keeping my mask on
at the work reception,
and as I knew
what he was really asking
I replied that yes,
he could have
my drink tickets.

Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Eleventh Week When asked if aliens are real a former President replied: “they’re real,” though he later clarified that he had seen no evidence they’ve made contact with us, and while I do…

When I admitted to her
that at times it is a challenge
to keep writing these,
she asked if I had ever
considered using AI,
and in response I told her
that I am trying
to document
the plagues of our time,
not succumb
to an electronic one.

*

Week 311:
librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2026/02/27/p...

I sent the ornithologist
a study that found
that watching birds
can boost cognition,
and in response
the ornithologist sent me
a study that found
bird populations
are declining rapidly,
so I asked:
“see them before they’re gone?”
and the ornithologist replied
“we’ll be gone too.”

When I went to the barber
he asked me
if I wanted to take off my mask
as the shop was now offering
straight-razor shaves,
and though I wanted to say
that as I was flanked
by coughing patrons
I was already having
a very close shave,
instead I just said: no thank you.

After he forgot
about our scheduled call
my cousin apologized
and noted that with age
he is just becoming
more and more forgetful,
and though I wanted to ask
if it’s “with age,” 
or if it’s
“with his 6th Covid infection,”
instead I just told him:
no need to apologize.

The historian
told me
that these
are dark times

The epidemiologist
told me
that these
are dark times

The activist
told me
that these
are dark times

The climatologist
told me
that these
are dark times,
because
the Earth’s albedo
has dropped
due to climate change.

More and more
research keeps emerging
that worryingly documents
“How COVID
Quietly
Rewires the Brain,”
but should you try
to warn others
about these findings
you will be told
to just be quiet.

By this point
you have likely heard that
“Shrinking sea ice
threatens future
for emperor penguins
say scientists,”
but before you reply
that you are a human
and not a penguin,
please note:
scientists say
shrinking sea ice
threatens your future too.

I have heard
a favored strategy
of authoritarian leaders
is to overwhelm people
with crises and calamities
so they do not know
how to respond,
which perhaps explains
why if you suggest
that wearing a mask
is a way to respond
people act as if doing so
is just too overwhelming.

Listen: you must learn
to tell the difference between
the end of the world,
and the end of the world
as we know it,
but if you are wondering
which end “AIs
can’t stop recommending
nuclear strikes
in war games simulations”
represents, just know
it’s quite possibly both.

It is understandable
if you should feel
that these days
there is too much
(just much too much)
history being made
for you to keep track of it all,
but that 430 parts per million
of CO2 in the air
has now been exceeded
is the sort of historic event
it’s worth keeping track of.

I know, that at this point,
you have more than enough reasons
to be wearing a mask
but considering a new report
has found “data centers’
air pollution associated
with lung issues, death,”
you now have yet another reason.

The historian
told me
that the state
of the union
is sick.

The climatologist
told me
that the state
of the union
is sick.

The activist
told me
that the state
of the union
is sick.

The epidemiologist
told me
that the state
of the union
is sick
(though she
meant it literally).

By now
you have likely seen it reported
that “Meta plans
launch of facial recognition
to smart glasses
in ‘dynamic political environment’,”
so even though you already have
more than enough reasons
to keep wearing a mask
now you have yet another one.

I sent my friend, the professor,
a study that found:
“College students
bounced back
after pandemic,”
and in response, my friend,
the professor told me:
that based on how many
of her students
just keep getting sick,
something else
is also bouncing back.

When you hear them say
they have been sick,
they have been “sick as a dog,”
it is important to recognize
how very unfair this is
to say about dogs,
for to keep getting sick
because you are ignoring
an ongoing pandemic
is not to be “sick as a dog,”
but sick as a human.

According to new research
“being an expert birder
may improve cognition,”
so if you would
protect and strengthen
your mind:
go watch the birds.
Yes, in these dark
and overwhelming times
if you would
protect and strengthen
your mind:
remember to stop
and go watch the birds.

A friend sent me a study
(from 2016)
which claimed to have found
“association of book reading
with longevity,”
but considering
how much has been reported
on how few people
are still reading books
I suppose this study explains
why it seems this society
doesn’t have long left.

Based on the snow
I see falling outside
it certainly seems
the winter season
is not yet over.

Based on the coughs
I keep hearing inside
it certainly seems
the plague season
is not yet over either.

As we rode the elevator
another passenger looked up
from her phone and said:
“I have a bad feeling
about this week,”
and though I was unsure
exactly what news
had prompted this comment,
in that moment
there was an odd comfort
in knowing I was not alone
in feeling that way.

Back when you
were in middle school
your English teacher
probably told you
that there is a difference
between saying
that you are “doing well”
and saying
that you are “doing good,”
but for what it’s worth
taking precautions
is a decent way
to ensure you’re doing both.