This too shall pass This too shall pass This plague This killer Coronavirus This pandemic Destroyer of lives Of families Towns Villages Bistros Bars And Careers This too shall pass And soon be forgotten As drinking Dancing Riding the subway And shopping Reclaim their usual place As distance Caution And fear subside Crowds filling the beaches The sidewalks And the ballparks With incubators stilled Hospital beds emptied And patients dismissed Life goes on Little changed from before Except for those gone missing The grandfathers Aunts Mothers Husbands And wives The front line workers Nurses Aides Doctors And ambulance drivers Who gave their lives To save the lives of others Many will go on about their business Now Feverishly These survivors Never looking back Only to feel a chill wind Now and then Hearing whispers And the hissing of a blade The man in a long dark coat Passing nearby Much too close for comfort