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A Hallel for COVID-19

for Daniel Horn and Gita Lisker

Praise soap. Praise its molecule, head and tail.

Praise water. Praise steel, the pipe, the faucet.

Praise chemists.

Praise indoor plumbing.

Praise the doctors.

Praise the nurses.

Praise the grocery store, the supply chain,

the cashiers, the clerks.

Praise the warehouse workers,

the warehouse and its scaffolding.

Praise food and farm workers, praise delivery.

Praise mutual aid.

Praise the roads. Praise the threshold,

the door, the knob, shelter.

Praise disinfectant. Praise alcohol.

Praise the neural pathways

leading one hand to the other. Palms open, rub.

Praise the nurses.

Praise the doctors.

Praise acetaminophen. Praise enough fluids.

Praise intake. Praise triage.

Praise Elmhurst Hospital Center, translating 153 languages.

Praise our immigrant cities.

Praise tarp. Praise PPE,

the gloves, the masks. Praise face shields.

Praise the Chinese hands that make them.

Praise cloth. Praise elastic.

Praise the cardboard box.

Praise trees.

Praise oxygen. Praise air.

Praise the doctors.

Praise the nurses.

Praise the medics.

Praise the ambulance, the ER.

Praise respiratory techs. Praise all the techs.

Praise the swab and the stethoscope.

Praise the x-ray and the oxygen tank.

Praise sedation.

Praise the scalpel. Praise the hand that holds it, again.

Praise the sterile field.

Praise plastic tubes reaching plagued lungs.

Praise the mechanical hiss.

Praise wire, the outlet, the electrical grid.

Praise the beeping alarm bringing tired feet to tortured breath.

Praise the nurses. Praise the doctors.

Praise oxygen. Praise air.

Praise the ICU.

Think of prisoners locked in tinder.

Think of people locked in their bodies.

Praise the tears of hospital staff. Praise the hallways they cry in.

Praise the hands that hold the mop.

Praise the doctors. Praise the nurses.

Praise oxygen. Praise air.

Praise epidemiologists.

Praise reliable data.

Praise the nurses. Praise the doctors.

Praise oxygen. Praise air.

Praise microbiologists. Praise immunologists.

Praise the vaccine. Praise the vaccine.

Praise the vaccine.

Posted in Coronavirus
doctor, gratitude, hallel, vaccine

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