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Invacuation-19 

The electric buzz smacks my consciousness, 

Shocking me from a languid television trance. 

Its ear-piercing hum bombards my senses. 

Invades my cell, 

Floods the air,

Oscillating between red surprise and gray anxiety. 

“Alarm in the unit!” 

Like a four-letter word, 

Vehemently spits from the guards’ loudspeaker, 

Bringing the raw awareness of immutable mortality. 

As a draconic virus engulfs the planet. 

With no shelter but to shelter-in-place, 

Victims fall gasping behind these prison walls. 

Apocalyptic alarms up 

For every “Man down!” 

Waking me and mercilessly punctuating the days 

Invacuating me and saturating me with questions 

Like “Who’s fallen this time?” 

And, “Am I next?” 

Distracting myself helps 

Immersing myself in tasks and entertainment. 

I try to get lost in a movie, 

Before I am given a chance, 

The electric buzz smacks my consciousness 

Shocking me from a languid television trance. 

 

Dedicated to Eric “E” 

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