2020 Duplex
Linda Mitchell
This poem brought all the wrong tools for the job
I’ve rolled up my sleeves to dig by hand
2020 is a year to lend a hand
gloved hands, smiles behind masks
Love thy neighbor is spelled w-e-a-r a m-a-s-k
After derecho, hurricane, flood, and fires
Hurricane before flood, derecho before fires
too many birds with nowhere to rest
Neither harvest-moon nor harvest time offer rest
There’s a vote to bring in, cell phones to ring
Approved counting is by tree trunk ring
Closed eyes clasped hands circle the wreck
Poets throw lines to clear the wreck
This poem brought all the wrong tools for the job