We Stayed at Home
Like everyone else
we stayed at home
except for food
and the alcohol
Some let their kids
play in the woods
where they believed the trees
did the heavy work
of breathing the poison
There was no
size or shape
to the threat
just the knowledge
that the air
might kill someone
someone close
was what we really worried about
the countless other souls were sad news
We began to fantasize
that when it
finally came
we would see it
at least a shadow
some forewarning
that would be fair
there would be a
comfort in knowing
that you’d hear a growl
before you were eaten