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Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash

The virus that affects the planet
the pandemic that infects the soul
the hysteria that reduces us
the simplifications that enclose us

All the voices that confront us
Feeding fear and great confusion
All an illusion that surrounds us
All an intrusion that may crush us

Come at once and in great numbers
From a thousand images concocted
And a million voices erupting
All the talking heads disrupting
End of times at every moment
Breaking news in every segment
Truth be damned we’re selling Product
Keeping eyes tuned in and waiting

All our specialists commenting

All our maps and graphics trending

All the people we’re surveying

How the virus keeps mutating
Until yes, we’re all infected
Yes indeed, contaminated
With a fear of our own making.

Disclaimer: The views in this article are those of the author. Prison Journalism Project has verified the writer’s identity and basic facts such as the names of institutions mentioned.

Fernando Rivas Martinez

Fernando Rivas Martinez is writer and prison reform advocate incarcerated in Texas. He is a 1977 Juilliard graduate and award winning composer of film and television music. In 2016, while incarcerated, he received an honorable mention from the PEN America prison writing program for his poem ‘300 Min.’ In 2019 he won the American Short Fiction Insider’s Prize award and an honorable mention on the Texas Observer short story contest.