As well as writing several poems every day, I’m reading at least one book of poems a day too. A couple of days ago I read little known Portugeuese poet Fernando Pessoa’s Selected Poems. He frequently uses Petrarchan sonnet structure & I was admiring how nicely those poems hung together. When I was trying to work out how to format the initial blurrrgh of ideas spewed out in the first draft, I was surprised to notice I had (apart from 2 lines in the wrong positions) written a miniature one of my own. Sans rhyme. Which is a good reason why poets should read other poets’ poems.

It’s always funny how you start off with an idea of a poem is going to go, only to watch it veer away from you. Funny, but exciting too. This one came pretty quickly … & is perhaps the one I’m happiest with so far this GloPoWriMo.

*****

the fidesvirus

not all pandemics
start in wet markets
or an insect’s sting
or a species-jump

& they don’t spread
by sneezing or particles
left on a hard surface
or in the blood stream

they are created by us
disseminated by us
& they infect only us

& regardless of conviction
— none are protection from
a truly committed pathogen