The Pandemic

Staying home, I'm swamped in my handicraft
Paintings, drawings, all fascinating art
Sumptuous meals, I baked and cooked
My proud dish, I posted in facebook
Puzzles in my newsfeed, I proudly answered each
Idly, I enjoyed K-Drama and Netflix.

But then outside, the world is in panic
People rant on their hungry stomachs
Sadly some leaders have turned their backs
Indeed in crisis, a man's true color is unveiled
Mother Earth is healing as global warming decreased
Yet people still suffer from their prolonged disease.

Soldiers, health workers and all frontliners bravely
Risk their lives to ensure our safety
Time in time, crisis proves how humanity
Prevails when we are willing to share
A little sacrifice and life can be spared
But to myself I looked guilty and ashamed.

Killing time as boredom strikes
A worse disease in disguise
Time passed, a stolen life unrecovered
As deadly as virus underestimated
The community may be in lockdown
But not the free limbs that can pound.

Meals I cook to my delight
For my hungry neighbors became my plight
Relief goods I pack, my new found craft
To serve my brother became my pact
Novels and movie marathon I shun
In Qur'an, I found Thy guidance.

This virus that steals life abruptly
Awakens the world that sleeps soundly
Time is short, if one can reflect
Perform one's ibadah sincerely and repent
When trials come, nobody's exempted
Weak or strong in faith, we are all tested.

If today I die, I am truly scared
Not to a virus but to my deeds I'm afraid
My sins I plead for forgiveness
His mercy I know is boundless
And I pray this pandemic be over
Only to Him do we trust and turn over.



- Penned April 10, 2020