Warriors: a poem (2020)
It's peace time—but they work in a war zone Healthcare workers
In gowns, masks, gloves, goggles
Back and forth
Around gurneys, beds, ventilators
With the dedication
Of Florence Nightingale
In a beehive of activity
Eyes expressionless
Behind airtight goggles
Nurses exchange brief glances
Then onto the next patient
Keeping track
Hoping for positive signs
Monitors beep amid the heavy silence
In a battle for the lives of patients
Some hang on
Others lose
Families at home
Anxious for news
The phone rings
The doctor delivers the news in a monotone
A family breaks down
Shattered
Back in the war zone
More work to do
Back in the war zone
A shift ends
Gear peeled off
Time to scrub down and head home
Exhausted warriors emerge from the trenches
A silent prayer on their lips
That the unseen enemy is scrubbed off
And not following them home
In the empty streets
The sound of silence is pierced
By the sound of sirens
Another ambulance arrives.
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