March 12, 2020-
Somewhere, a president feels a fever coming.
Two hundred miles to the north,
a soybean farmer lies in bed,
isolated from all save his loving wife.
Far to the north, another country’s
First Lady is quarantined.
Her Prime Minister-husband
is in self-isolation.
A fisherman, in a village,
well to the east,
won’t be casting his net,
for at least a month.
The trader, who was hoping
to make a killing in smuggling
parrots from Brazil,
has just been told “No go”.
The area from which he was heading
is in a Red Zone.
There will be no plane flights,
until further notice.
The parrots can sing
in freedom,
for now.