Poem: The face of confusion

The mind is distorted

Deep in its vault

Paralyzed by uncertainty

The absence of a solid plan

Has destabilized the pathways of life

All algorithms are in shambles

All chemical reactions are in overdrive

Cortisol, the stress hormone is at its highest point

The mathematicians have all gone quiet

No mathematical formula to chart the way forward

Psychologists are beating around the bush

Unable to pinpoint the source of this terrible fire

That burns the human psyche

Physicists are recycling Einstein’s formula (E=MC^2)

To try and generate more energy for the masses

The World Health Organization is blindsided

By the huge financial hole on its backside

Scientists are huddled under the hood of confusion

Unable to unite behind one possible cure strategy

The United Nation is taking a long break

From its useless mandate

Anarchists are distributing hopelessness

Prophets are whispering gibberish

Governments are on the brink of detonation

The time for political trickery is running out

The people are helplessly immobile

Under a world-wide lockdown

There is no one left in the global village

Everyone is missing in action

The streets are quiet

Under the banner of the face mask

The markets are empty

The stalls are sources of hopelessness

The coronavirus has occupied our minds

And there is nothing else to do

But to beat around the bush

And refuse to see the truth

On one hand is the COVID-19 Outbreak

On the other is poverty, hunger, economic collapse and mass hysteria

It’s an impossible situation

The answers are nowhere to be found

The face of confusion is making matters worse

With its ugly and unhinged demeanour

“Stay home” cannot feed the nation

But “stay home” saves lives

“Social distancing” cannot run a thriving economy

But “social distancing” saves life

Face masks cannot sustain a critical business pitch

But “face masks” save life

“Washing hands more often” is not sustainable

But “washing hands more often “keeps the virus away

The face of confusion is on the billboard of life

©Kenneth Maswabi

(15-06-2020)