VIR-US

​​#covid19
Another poem about these moments. Mother Tongue on YouTube.
Conclusion:
​Folklore values and dangers during a global pandemic are an ongoing conversation and field of study as we fight the horrifying situation playing out worldwide. 

​Vir-US

Band together with lifted voices to    say our farewells & goodbyes                           
No time
To be shy or embarrassed                                                                                                 
​Show affection
                                                                            Love be our protection
We are alive...for now     
Somehow, that statement
brings truth to bear
As in places surviving the flu
Cover your innocence in blue   
Like the scrubs they'll wear                   when they intubate you
 Resuscitate you
Crowds gather and
gasp as you fall    
A broken system
Which punishes all
Begs no more...
We can't breathe for sure.                   
We are dying. We are crying                   
SURGING...100, 200, 300,
Climbing

The Chronicling Culture in Crisis series features individuals and their communities as they use their traditions and creativity to respond not only to the public health crisis but also economic uncertainty, structural racism, and climate change"
James Deutsch, curator at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Museum.