The country is in a crouch

(Title taken from an article by Maureen Dowd.)

                                                                                      Illustration by William Blake

The country is in a crouch

It could be that I'm slouching on my couch

Masking and unmasking myself

Inflating and deflating my

Inner tube because

Under confinement  and

Drowning with love for my brothers and sisters

My tubeless bicycle needs to stay safe.


Still, the country is in a crouch

It could be we shall spring out of our pouch

My tigger-striped cat will take a broker's leap

Up the tree and

Stock options will flutter despite

Covid's glee.


I think of bubbles when

I am in a crouch

From Alka Seltzer to Champagne

All is good for the ouch

I had a dream of being tested

100 million times

And each test requested

To guess how depressed  my tongue could chime!


Today, I gawked at a Sheriff who

Fired his pistol at the opening of a restaurant

And I gawked at my hairdresser who

Was drinking liquid crystal at a clip

So I turned on the tube to listen to Dr. Fauci

Offering words of immunization

As he tried not to be grouchy.