A Day in History

Written in memorial of the first US victim of Influenza A/H1N1, also known as swine flu. It was a 23 month old baby in Texas. His or her name remains unknown to me, and I think I would keep it that way, because either way he or she has become a symbol, a symbol of either the coming pestilence or our constant paranoia. I wrote it on the morning that the child died.

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A Day in History

Simbamba, mamma se kynktjie
Sleep softly, mamma's little one
Unnamed child, welcome to history
You have robbed the nation of its sleep tonight
Questions and fears and bitter tears
You had no choice, thread cut short
In your far off home of oil and longhorns
You came and we promised 80 odd plus years
Now you will never see a second May
In you are found our deepest paradox
We mourn and fear your sky dark day
The return of the dance of the dancing macabre
So sleep little one, do not see the seal’s hour
When the black horseman shall ride...
again or not yet?