The following is a poem written by Red Jacket high school science teacher Jennifer Sweet to all the students who had their 2019-20 school year cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic that will forever be a part of their individual life stories.
The Covid Kids
It was March 2020.
Just ending the winter blues,
When life came to a halt, and
Mom gave us the news…
No more playgrounds.
No lessons at the pool.
We can’t see our friends,
Not even at school.
No large groups of people.
It was called social distancing.
Even Grandma and Grandpa –
We were kept from visiting.
We had to stay inside.
It’s known as a quarantine.
I asked Mom why…
She said it was COVID-19.
What was that?
A virus. It made people sick.
Just like the sniffles,
It spread really quick.
It was a coronavirus.
It wasn’t the flu.
It made a fever and cough.
The vulnerable turned blue.
The people on the TV,
They had masks on their face.
They had looks of concern,
And told to leave the workplace.
Footage from stores.
The shelves were empty.
Mom stocked up on toilet paper,
Even though we had plenty.
Mom woke us up in the morning,
She said school was in the kitchen.
Phones, laptops, and tablets,
They were all plugged in.
Days were spent on movies, cooking, crafts,
Or video games in my room.
I couldn’t wait for the time
to see my teachers, friends, and family on Zoom.
We went for walks outside.
We hunted for teddy bears.
There were rainbows on windows.
Chalk designs on stairs.
Numbers would stream on the screen,
We had to flatten the curve.
I thought when would it end?
We had to wait for a cure.
Lysol and Clorox, they killed the germ.
We constantly washed our hands with soap.
A quick test and vaccine in first trials,
They were our biggest hope.
Antibiotics don’t work.
Against viruses, they’re not effective.
Another promising lead?
Antibodies from the affected.
We thanked the people who were still working.
Nurses, doctors, grocers, and drivers.
Because of all these people,
We had survivors.
We passed the peak.
We went on with our lives.
Many lessons were learned.
The virus? It lies in the CDC archives.
By Jennifer G. Sweet
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