Buh-bye 2021: A Rhyming Wrap-up

Buh-bye 2021: A Rhyming Wrap-up

Solemnly undaunted by the stormy insurrections who failed

New grownups replaced the joker who should’ve been jailed

In with the new, out with the old,

Freshly minted Amanda Gorman recited poetry gold.

Police still shot unarmed Black bodies and got acquitted

We saw justice for George Floyd, but the justice was not fitted

So, it hung loosely, weighted with gut-wrenching trauma

We’ll always be haunted by the cries for his mama.

With the pandemic still raging, Zoom calls were still a thing

Photo bombing by kids and pets who were bored with string

We ran out of clever backgrounds and WIFI connection rants

And pretending we weren’t all wearing pajama pants.

The Great Resignation kicked into full gear

Some went back to offices, feeling like pioneers

Hybrid, they said and we rolled our eyes

Until seeing people IRL became a nice surprise.

The masks got too tight and we cast blame

towards long grocery lines and packages that never came

Quarantines, masking, testing, distancing– we’re exhausted

Those hyping productivity and reinvention got frosted.

In unknowable times, social media morphed to a toxic lifeline

Until therapy became the new normal since we weren’t fine

If our bodies need love, sustenance and nurturing

Why can’t our psyches get some gentle encouraging?

I didn’t get COVID and that was nice

But my favorite person had it twice

Fortunately, mild cases although they kept her beat

And she couldn’t taste much unless it had heat.

The west was on fire and disasters raged.

Climate change was given priority on the national stage

About time to let Mother Earth recover

From rabid abuse and attempts to unlove her.

I installed TikTok, revisited Instagram and Facebook,

Perfected a few dance routines and smokey eye look

Added an updo and outfit for a pretend night out

With nowhere to go; I wanted to shout.

On my second Zoom birthday, I was required to wear a crown

As the attendees dished compliments and good wishes all around

Summer came and went without favorite things I did before

Park concerts, farmers markets, arcades and a whole lot more.

I took a lot of selfies to send to people I was missing

Because when COVID cases surged, we were stuck reminiscing

When finally reunited we unapologetically burst with glee

After such a long time of isolation and uncertainty.

Resilience and hope are not for the meek

It takes faith, intention and creativity not to be bleak

We miss what we had although we took it for granted

Sometimes life requires surviving where we’re planted.

Frontline workers, we love you for caring so much

Putting up with rudeness, stupidity and such

Like anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers and aunties flipping out in grocery stores

By throwing “freedom” tantrums like they were four.

Dr. Fauci, we love you for trying to keep us safe

Not that in your field, there was an escape

We know you’re tired and want to retire bad

We’ll never forget you, America’s dad.

We got vaccines and boosters like they were going out of style

Comparing post-shot symptoms and sighing “oooh, child”

We thought the coronavirus was waning with an end near

Then Delta got a second wind and Omnicron said hold my beer.

A jab is not so bad if it keeps us well

We won’t need a respirator, just lose our smell

Besides, a negative test and vaccine card are the new passport

To get back to work, bars and any indoor sport.

Almost a million people died, while many of us felt deprived

Best to give plenty of thanks for simply being alive

And remember we’re all in this together

Through monster viruses, climate disasters and whatever.

365 more pandemic days seemed like an eternity

Especially when all we craved was the serenity

Of no longer being passive victims of a foe, we can’t see

Hiding in our houses, ticking off the days until we are free.

If one more person asks when it’s going to end

I think I’ll lose my mind just a little or become a Minion

Instead, let’s enjoy the season of light

Imagining better days and a future bright.

Make an effort to be patient, thoughtful and kind

Dreaming of a global community that leaves no one behind

Cheers to 2022, it can be an unanswered prayer

With the right mindset and heartfelt attempts to repair.