Ode To Covid-19

By Aarti Sharma

O Corona, the crowned one!

I wonder who you are!

A tiny, microscopic virus wreaked havoc, it’s so bizarre,

Look on your works, what despair!

You loved no one to spare,

Yet I sing in your praise;

Have I gone nuts, what a craze?

O Corona, the ruthless usurper!

Look, what have you done!

Who burnt the Great Wall of China, Are you the one?

You plundered nations off their glee;

And shrouded them with human misery,

At a mere stern glance;

You robbed many off their last chance.

O Corona, the mighty conqueror!

Where have you suddenly come from?

And imprisoned all of us inside our own homes,

When I witness desolate towns and deserted, empty streets;

I wonder how easily you’ve made belligerent continents to retreat,

Good fences make good neighbours;

You taught us sweets of our own labours.

O Corona, the great leveler!

What is it that you wish and want?

You brought the world to its knees with a sneer of cold command,

As you marched forward, human race went cold feet;

Such is your horror that imposing kingdoms had to bow in defeat,

Rich and poor, master and slave; you treat everyone alike;

The ones who commanded the planet once; are now paying the price.

O Corona, the callous destroyer!

What are your gains?

Decayed colossal wreck; nothing besides remains,

The pretentious edifice of human supremacy came crumbling down;

What left behind is an eerie feeling and a ghastly lockdown,

Hush! Hush! Don’t get too near!

“I might die” so I fear.

O Corona, the Divine messenger!

You are nature’s fury who came to claim what is lawfully yours;

Animals reveling, birds chirping and rivers reclaiming their lost course,

“Live and let live” is the message descended from heaven like a rain;

You are His messenger, sent to chide the prodigal son once again,

Sometimes Jesus, sometimes Moses, sometimes He Chooses you (Covid)

“Earth belongs to everyone; the only ruler is not you (mankind)”.

O Corona, the King of Viruses!

I pray to thee;

Please spare us and take mercy,

There’s nowhere to go and there’s no one to see; I hope this will end but there’s no guarantee,

How I wish that I had my own time machine; I’d go back to the months before Covid-19.

By Aarti Sharma