O lords, accept the sacrifice from our (sterile) hands

Capitalist Pandemic:  Now who do you think made them die?

Doesn’t everyone want
to be crucified,
rather than be vilified,
to wear a viral crown.
Cover with tissue
all they face,
pray for blessing
before they race
to turn a serious cold
they catch
to purge pensioners,
chronically sick and old,
they watch
to yield that pot of gold,
and by the rich, do what
they’re told.

T.P. Wilkinson, Dr. rer. pol. writes, teaches History and English, directs theatre and coaches cricket between the cradles of Heine and Saramago. He is author of Unbecoming American: A War Memoir and also Church Clothes, Land, Mission and the End of Apartheid in South Africa. Read other articles by T.P..