In my temporary isolation
I find myself thinking, wondering,
the kind of thoughts
a child might have
about the state of things
and about nature
If I sniff my indoor plants and flowers
will they hold on to the virus?
Does the grass breathe?
If someone coughs or sneezes
nearby will it be affected?
What about the newly budding
leaves on the trees?
We’re given guidelines about
paper, cardboard, plastics, cotton
but nothing about the more organic things
Lying here I muse about this possible
“Worst case scenario” – what if:
the grasses, trees, rivers, seas,
the very earth itself were to receive,
harbour and hold this infection
would there then be an end
that is not inevitably final?
CM 2020
words and pictures 