Covid Pariah

by Mark Tulin

I am a Covid pariah, 
an uncomfortable outcast, 
an undesirable, a black crow, 
wild and untamed, 
solemn in a strange and foreign land
where people don't care
or show me sympathy
 
I am despised,
the lowest caste of man,
a distant drummer
who beats a solo rhythm,
a laborer who earns nothing,
a servant who isn’t welcome,
a subhuman who is
scolded and crucified
 
I am an untouchable,
lethal and fatal,
viral and unsanitized,
quarantined and isolated,
sick with a high fever,
hanging on each elusive breath, 
dying in a hospital of fools.

Sent: Jan 2, 2021