With no shelter but to shelter-in-place,
Victims fall gasping behind these prison walls.
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”
