Robert Epstein

Pandemic Haiku Robert Epstein

The world has not seen anything so devastating as the novel coronavirus pandemic since the Spanish influenza of 1918, which killed millions of people. Except in the most remote parts of the globe, the daily lives of one and all have been turned upside down like never before. We are being challenged to adapt abruptly, calling upon resilience and resourcefulness as well as humor even as anxiety, if not panic, rises in the face of sickness, death and job loss. Maybe you will recognize yourself or your loved ones in these pages and appreciate the myriad ways you too are coping with so much uncertainty and disruption. We are all living through this pandemic together.
national emergency --
she stocks up
on cookies

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whatever weather
every trip to the store
Russian roulette

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the same walk --
so many passersby
say hello now

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sheltering in place
not yet a vaccine
family board games

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coronavirus spread --
she recommends a birdbath
for company

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everywhere at once
Buddha with the smile
of unbearable compassion

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