No Welcome Mat, Please

A visitor is coming

He is coming to our shores,

It is not a matter of “if”

But “when” means it’s for sure.

We are becoming apprehensive,

We don’t want him to come

For there is quite a bit of news around

Concerning what he has done.

We are doing our best to prepare

Like for an impending hurricane,

For when he does arrive

He will bring all kinds of pain.

This pain will be at all levels

At the physical and the social

The emotional will be paramount

For most, if not all people.

 

Already we are seeing some panic

In our pharmacies and supermarkets

And some people do not believe

That the visitor is not here yet.

Business is falling off

People don’t want to take chances,

Their eyes and ears are opened

As this unwelcome visitor advances.

There are many news sources

Some credible and some are not

But they are going viral

As this visitor continues his plot.

 

He started at a far-off country

Now he is drawing near

And there is no doubt in the experts’ mind

That one day soon he will appear.

I fear for the babies and the elderly

To me these are the most vulnerable,

Add to these the sick and absent minded:

These are the most susceptible.

It appears his visits are costly

As a matter of fact, even before he arrives,

Especially in countries like our own

Where tourism the economy drives.

I am trying my best to stay calm

And do the best that I can do:

Like washing my hands at every turn

And avoiding the panic crew.

I am trying to break a habit

I have had for a very long time,

Keeping my hands away from my face

Is now preoccupying my mind.

I am not going to name this visitor

He is known by all of you

But this I will say, though you are aware,

He is not the ordinary flu.

There is speculation re his origin

The rumours and theories are rife,

But one thing that is far from rumour,

He is known for ending one’s life.

So, seeing I have only got one

And not a spare one to fall back on,

I will protect this life with all I’ve got

And only stop when I am gone.

No welcome mat, if you please,

And no red carpet to be laid down,

No “We Gatherin’” for him in Barbados,

We don’t want him coming ‘round.

Stewart Russell © March 2020