AVENGER’S ENDGAME
OR,
WRITING ON THE WALL
Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin
Wrote the hand on Belshazzar's wall Prophet Daniel made words mysterious
Rather plain for the rich 'n debauched King.
"Your days are numbered
Your deeds have been weighed
On scales and found wanting
Your kingdom shall divide and fall
You don't meet God's approval."
Whether zealot, agnostic, atheist
Or just a Marvel comics fan Ebola, Hendra, Zika, Nipa, could be prophets
of the Second Coming...
He's back, as Corona the Virus!
Or, Nature's Avengers
Superheroes with a plan
to restore balance -
the Endgame -
Upset by reckless Man.
Whether you believe words of prophets
Or, scoff saying, "Just one more plague"
On the wall is writ again the message
by no means vague…
Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin
Numbered... Numbered ... Weighed …Divide
Reap what you sow
Mankind, it’s your time to decide.
Hear ye, hear ye all you pin-striped kin,
Fans of Thanos and Trump
We're the reasons for the mess we're in…
Just reward for our original sin!
Forests degraded…wild life traded
Is there nothing at all that’s sacred?
For mother Nature we’ve shown no care
Turning her Temple into a den of thieves
Now, her Corona of thorns we must wear,
While obsessed over nature to triumph
With Capitalism, Globalisation
All things economic
We, not China, created this pandemic!
In a few hundred years we warmed the globe;
Nature took care of the rest
Birds and bats moved north, north-west
Found cooler climes
Before, one flu out the cuckoo's nest
Heading east on the Silk Route.
Said Nature, "Much is at stake!".
If I can get a virus from bat to camel
A piece of cake is the human mammal!
Whom do we blame? Of course, Chinese culture
For whetting the appetite of the capitalist vulture
Shipping pangolin to the Chinese business class
Celebrating their stock market wealth
By flaunting exotic ways to good health!
Then due west to New York
Spread the virus shock;
Corona flu on the breath of man
From Communist via Conservative
To Klu Klux Klan
Neither Xenophobia, nor borders
Could disrupt Nature’s orders
Or Impede the invisible protein's plan.
Yellow, brown, black or, white,
Male, female, young or old
Rich, middle or, working class,
Corona spares no one we are told
Fearing infection en masse,
no Friday prayer, no Sunday Mass
A holy dip is really not cool,
Forget swimming in a pool!
Humanity begs to live, on its knees
With entire cities in deep freeze.
Many mutter, this is cruel farce
Breathing clean air through a mask!
Some queue to buy weapons,
“Let’s shoot the damn virus!”
Others think toilet paper
A worthy response to the crisis.
Worldwide we’re online but off the streets
Akin the ancient Egyptian, we’re afraid, in retreat.
Isolation, quarantine keeps our minds on edge
Between Id and Ego, it drives deep a wedge
As we recall long ago the plague went wild
And snatched every first-born child
During Passover.
When will we realise the problem is ‘us’
Not blame our woes on virus’ and ‘them’?
Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine,
We’re enjoy fighting all the time!
Now we want to ‘fight’ a protein?
Fighting’s in our DNA…it’s just so routine.
We’re fighting for markets, we’re fighting to compete
Nature’s resources to deplete.
Way too steep will be the price
For Man making the mistake twice.
Virus’ Avengers Corona, and Ebola -
Mightier than the US Dollar -
Are not our foes but Nature’s friends
Their mission, to make amends for human blunder
Reverse global trends, reduce consumer spends
And end planetary plunder.
Save the world wrest asunder by politician and big biz crony
They’re Prophets of doom for their monster economy.
Community, cooperation, collaborate
Is what we must celebrate this instance
Keeping of course our social distance.
Like Iron Man, Captain A, Black Widow, Hulk and Thor
Avengers with attitude, we must come together
Combine our fortitude and show hatred the door
The path of Thanos we must abhor.
A new world order is ours to create
Where wild life stays off our plate.
Talk local, talk small, talk health, talk green
No hatred, no bigotry, no venting spleen.
Cheer capital’s demise, let’s wealth despise
Let universal brotherhood like a Phoenix rise
To a future san virus’ and inspire us
To return our planet to Paradise.
© 2020 Ranjan Kamath
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