A poetic look back at the year we all want to leave behind
Goodbye, 2020!
Good riddance, farewell! You’ve maxed out our patience You’ve put us through hell.
The year of the virus! The year of the mask! Be gone 2020! That’s all that we ask.
Winter
It started half hopeful — A normal new year — Despite the impeachment of Trump, our King Lear.
“Obstruction of Congress!” The Democrats cried “Abuse of his power! Our president lied!”
But Trump was acquitted — Mitch wrangled the vote — And when the plague surfaced We barely took note.
A virus in China? That’s so far away! It wasn’t our problem But then came a day …
A day in mid-March
When Tom Hanks said, “I’m sick” The NBA canceled
And life collapsed quick.
“Pandemic,” they called it We’d live with that word Along with so many We rarely had heard.
Like “aerosols,” “lockdown” And “COVID-19”
Like “shelter- in-place” And the dread “quarantine.”
The rest’rants were shuttered The taverns were locked The hospitals teemed And the loss left us shocked.
Each hug was a danger Each handshake a threat Each time we went out We played virus roulette.
We learned how to distance — Yo, 6 feet apart! —
To wash our hands often To wipe down a cart.
We lived in our bubbles We hoarded TP
We went to no concerts But binged on TV.
Corona engulfed us Like permanent weather We sought to stay sep’rate While also together.
We sanitized parcels
And often were grouchy But all except rebels Said, “Thank God for Fauci.”
The good doctor schooled us In hope and in science He taught us precautions Despite Trump’s defiance.
The president dithered — “Don’t worry!” he said, “We’ll open by Easter!” — We counted the dead.
We fought off despair
As we battled our gloom We schooled kids at home And held funerals on Zoom.
The health care providers Were heroes we praised They worked to exhaustion For days upon days.
We waited in lines
To get tests, to get food … And this was not all
That would darken our mood.
Spring
So much had been lost And so much was destroyed And then came a killing — His name was George Floyd.
A cop pinned him down And he struggled for breath A movement exploded Because of his death.
In cities and suburbs
Folks took to the street
They cried, “Black lives matter!” They marched in the heat.
The young and the old —
They were Black, Brown and White — They knew it was time
To stand up for this fight.
Summer
The summer ticked on Full of civil unrest While ravaging wildfires Ignited the West.
The president sputtered, “This chaos must stop!” He posed with a Bible — Hey, look! Photo op!
He tweeted “ANTIFA!” He spread his fake news He goaded his fan base To share his dark views.
He said he’d send soldiers — They might have to shoot! — Dear Lord, how we wished We could put him on mute.
The country was burning A nation in flames
At least, sighed the ball fans, We get to watch games.
And while we trudged onward Some heroes expired Among them John Lewis Who left us inspired.
We lost Kobe Bryant, We lost Justice Ruth Who gave us the strength To keep fighting for truth.
Autumn
While small business suffered The stock market soared While millions went jobless The megarich scored.
The virus kept surging
And so did our dread While those in the White House Abetted the spread.
The president caught it: Oh, would he survive? He got special treatment And stayed quite alive.
He held his great rallies ( Well, not all that great) He said he’d beat Biden In most ev’ry state!
But then came November The voters said: No! We’re done with you, Donald We’re voting for Joe.
Trump pouted and lied And he threatened a coup But then Mitch McConnell Conceded: He’s through.
And now …
We called the year awful, Chaotic and strange And yet on the bright side We learned how to change.
We saw life more clearly For better and worse We saw our divisions And how they’re a curse.
Divisions of justice Divisions of wealth Divisions of who
Gets a chance at good health.
We learned about courage Learned better to share We learned that it’s time For some major repair.
Though Facebook still stalks us And spies on our tracks Though misinformation
Is still spread by hacks
Democracy made it! And though it feels frail Let’s pause for a moment To share an exhale.
A new year is coming It won’t all be fun But let’s raise a toast To the year ’21!