The Futility of Words

Grief is a curious thing.

You disappear inside an ocean of get well soons

And what can I do for you?

But what do you say when you can’t see the body

When elbow bumps replace hugs

And hand sanitizer is more common than flowers.

What do you say

when you say good-bye through video chat?

Those pixels can’t capture the stench of dried sweat

And the rhythmic hum of the ventilator,

A drumbeat in a sterile room.

You are left to ponder your existence on a screen.

What do you say

To unimaginable loss

Shrouded in the indignities of politics.

With 32,972 dead

What do you say?

I love you could suffice

But the cotton of the mask traps the words

And leaves you unmoored,

Drifting,

Alone.