THE SWORDS

Patrick O’Shea

The swords of loss slash deeply into the citizens and homes of the world, the sharp edges cutting into

The spirits of those who not so many days before were content,

Suddenly it is as if a wind has been whipped up by some dark wizard which cloaks an invisible killer, and

Carries it across so many lands and seas of the earth,

Then deposited, the killer begins to spread its touch, and to reach out for the grandfathers and the

Grandmothers, for how else can one remove a generation,

No armies are required to carry out this removal of souls from among the living, no weapons except the

Virus that can be inhaled with a breath and exhaled with a breath,

There are no shields of protection against these swords, for no one yet knows how a protective shield

Can be made for the hearts and minds of those suffering loss,

And no magicians have yet been found that can fight this invisible killer, no one with that ability as yet,

So, the fear continues to grow along with the anger and confusion.

It seems that people in so many places are acting like those waiting for the fall of the headman’s axe, or

Perhaps the sword of justice to pass a final judgement on them,

There is no running that can offer the suggestion of safety, the killer can come to so many after a kind

Word has been exchanged, or an unprotected health worker on a visit,

The swords of leadership are being used in some countries to make sharp and simple points about what

Is required, but In other countries they seem to be sadly lacking,

There are no swords of hope, perhaps because swords were not designed to provide hope, but just to

Remove citizens from the world who were deemed unworthy to someone,

We speak of a cutting remark, a sharp tongue, or cutting someone off from their friends, and in all of

These words are the sharp cutting edges of the swords,

We are now in a period of loss, and the old methods do no longer seem to work, new methods must be

Found, and perhaps we must reconsider living with the swords.