20-03-22
Extra personae
Purchased to mitigate a risk
Since removed for a fee
Negotiated
Worked out
Gone
Now the mask
Remains
In the box
In case
Just in case
But do we need
These cases
When others
Bratty
Self righteous
Privileged
Rich
Yet, finally, or at least clearly and transparently
Vulnerable
And this immediately blaming
The average person
For their weakness and fear
Public servants
For their alleged incompetence
All have failed them
In the midst of their efforts
To save us all
Not quite selfless
But licensed
And uniquely qualified
Solely
So these masks
Unopened
Pristine
Maybe sterile
Where do they go?
Well there’s a procedure
In the event you want to help
You have something to give
There are hours
Staffing
Protocols
Because
To get your mask into the system
As a resource
Devoid of its story
The reason for its purchase
The perceived and present danger
That has since passed
Story free
These masks
Move into the system
Toward the privileged bratty frontline workers
Facing the, quote, invisible enemy
Speaking for the voiceless
Suggesting carrying capacity
Met and surpassed
Food safety needs
Ignored
Human rights
Set aside as a cultural difference
Solve the problem
Whatever it takes
The autocratic “solutions” linger
A path toward the final solution
Or the like
?
We can track
Each “case”
Or potentially so
Solving a problem
But these masks
Of surveillance
Will sit on the shelf
Of daily life
Well beyond
The crisis that legitimated their instantiation
No one noticed
The borders were closed
So difficult to pull off just weeks before
The suspension of the legislature
The deadline-free activation of martial law
The arresting people for leaving their houses
The common good
The reasonable public health solution
If only people could stop partying on Florida beaches for spring break
The young
Immortal
Murdering their elders
With glib glee
On camera
Rosy cheeked and trucker capped
Well, you could get angry
Murderer after murderer
Parading behind the invisible enemy