This Memorial Day is like no other in recent memory
It has taken an added, more solemn, meaning
As always, we salute our brave men & women
who died fighting for freedom w/o any misgiving

Civilian leaders send troops to foreign lands
on flimsy grounds;  often slyly lying about it
Still, these brave men and women follow  orders
Many die or get injured, but won’t question or quit

But this year we need to acknowledge the sacrifices
front line workers made in the fight against Covid-19
Even Without proper armor, they kept battling
against an enemy that cannot easily be seen

Hospitals were swamped with Covid-19 patients
ICUs were packed beyond their capacity
Doctors and nurses risking their own lives,
worked tirelessly, full of pugnacity and tenacity

Let’s not forget front line workers who were as critical
to the fight against Covid-19 as doctors and nurses
Poorly paid, without much PPE, mostly people of color
Out on the front line, as part of civilian workforces

Countless medical and front-line workers
sacrificed their lives serving fellow humans
Sadly, they will not have memorials built for them
They will just fade away in history’s annals

Almost a million Americans lost their lives,
often dying without any loved one present
Many of these lives could have been saved
If science had guided the actions of our president

Society’s worst and the best was on display
Schism between RED and BLUE was as wide
in the response to public health measures
as it has been in politics, no bridging of the divide

It was particularly hard on small businesses
Due to lock down, scores of them closed for good
Millions lost their jobs, often their homes as well
Stressed, not knowing how to support their livelihood

Working women were hit particularly hard
This recession should be called “she-cession”
Without day care and schools, they ended up
doing triple duty, leading to complete exhaustion

Irony is not lost even in these dire times
While a large majority of Americans suffered,
Bezos of America got richer, a lot richer
These added riches, if shared, would have mattered

Nothing we can say to those who lost loved ones
that will lessen their anguish, misery, and pain
If we learn from this tragedy, make amends,
these deaths would not have been in vain.

May the souls of the departed ones rest in peace.
God bless America.
Amen!