When the Chickens Come Home to Roost

The president stood before the mic

And told the public not to fear--

That things were not so bad--but didn't

Say that he was insincere.

 

He let them think that oh, we have

COVID-19 under control,

As he tried to convince the public

To follow him down the rabbit hole.

 

He found a doctor who was not

An epidemiologist

To spread his propaganda, and he

Allowed the experts to be dismissed.

 

He thoughtlessly invited his fans

To rallies where masks were not required

And thought his obstinacy and his

Insouciance made him highly admired.

 

He scorned those who wore their masks

And knew the virus was a threat,

And when journalists pressed him about

The issue, he'd become upset.

 

Thinking he knew so much more

Than all of the experts, he made sure

That CDC recommendations

Would soften and remain obscure.

All of a sudden, what do we learn?

The president is hospitalized

For having contracted COVID-19.

Is anybody at all surprised?

 

The lesson here: denial does not

Make problems disappear on their own.

Always consider consequences,

For we will reap what we have sown.

Negligence as a strategy

Slowly but surely gives danger a boost

When our actions catch up with us--

When the chickens come home to roost.

 

-by Bob B (10-4-20)