End of the World

It’s not the end of the world, it’s just 
hoarding and rainbows and strange social mores;
protests in streets and meltdowns in stores;
forcing yourself to knit or to bake;
missing the office you used to hate;
maximum boredom and minimal fun;
and all of the plagues of Egypt (plus one).

It’s not the end of the world, it’s just
numbers and chaos and data and rules;
endless debates over the bars and schools;
celebrity scientists now known by name
with mind-numbing charts that they try to explain;
an army of testers to find and to track;
a bumping of elbows, and wearing of masks.

It’s not the end of the world, it’s just 
conspiracy theories that some fools believe;
leaders who lose but never quite leave;
wars that erupt when no one is looking;
flights that never take off after booking;
days that have no beginning or end . . .
.it’s once-in-a-century, so please — not again!