Five Sisters

Gaia is blessed tonight

her five sisters visiting

on a beautiful cloudless sky

Jupiter leads the Goddess procession 

big sister, oh so bright 

approaching the sky's center

as Saturn trails behind

still far in front of  Mars

part of the inner circle,

and Venus, returning in 2020

Our closest sibling

tagging along the crescent Moon

with Mercury in the rear

an incredible parade of Goddesses

goes entirely unnoticed 

by humans, young and old, below

too drunk in ego

consumed by desire for fun

to care about our solar family

people in long beach city

live in an alternate universe

a nihilist world 

engrossed in machismo

a magical place in which

corona virus does not exist

friends and strangers alike

mix and mingle, merrily

as if the pandemic is gone

also likely, it never happened

groups and gatherings galore

block after block

strangely, uncomfortably

we are the only one 

social distancing

sirens blaring...

in one month 

mid-june to mid-july

california went from having 

2,000 corona virus cases daily

to 10,000 new cases every day

every day 

even with inadequate testing

newsome, our 'liberal' governor 

re-opened too soon

beaches, bars, restaurants, theaters 

now desperately trying 

to close it all back down again

but it is too little, too late, gov

the golden state has left the barn

we will soon pass

new york's 406,000 cases 

to lead the US in infections

what a difference a month makes

then, 'rona was spreading slowly

now, she is widely out of control

Venus knew this would happen

the Goddesses all knew

we are the only ones in the dark