Doret Canton
Three Poems
White Privilege Spreading Covid19
Defying a NYC shelter in place mandate
fleeing to the Hamptons with a case of Covid19
Coughing in strangers faces
screaming Covid19
Using a public gym while awaiting test results
Rand Paul probably bored
recklessly reaffirmed
White privilege
to liven up his day
Exploiting pandemic desperation
The Colvin brothers sold steeply priced hand sanitizer
They have not been arrested or charged
It’s been over a month
A Black man was killed for selling loosies
Selfishly blocking a hospital
amid a global health crisis
with rhetoric and guns
Refusing to self-quarantine after a positive diagnosis
If I fixed my Black mouth to say “You can’t tell me what to do”
I might not be around to write another poem
New Detroit Lost its Gleam (For Deborah Gatewood)
Retirement on the horizon
Ready to spoil my granddaughter
My only daughter’s daughter
Survived much in 63 years
Independence comes at a cost
Worked all my life
Lots of double shifts, overtime
If they called
I went
If you got blood drawn at
Beaumont Health
It may have been me
telling you to make a fist
Wouldn’t miss
Beaumont Health
Would’ve been free at 65
They stopped seeing me at 55
My son in law
My young granddaughter
SAW ME
Strengthened me
to do my last 2 years unseen
An unforeseen disease, Covid19
spread through the world
Hospital workers heroes
I was a hero
that wouldn’t be saved
I was as free as a Black woman
in Detroit could be
When I came down with a cough and fever
New Detroit lost its gleam
I gave Beaumont Health
31 years
They gave me
cough medicine
Suspicion All Around
In the mist of Covid19
Ignoring vulnerability possibilities
Can’t think
What if I get sick?
Not disillusioned
No Covid19 immunity
Can fall ill at anytime
Following health guidelines
Simply added one of my own
So, I don’t crumble
As I go to work; interacting with many people
uncertain if any are asymptomatic
I don’t know where they’ve been
They don’t know where I’ve been
Suspicion all around
A company-wide email went around
Someone tested positive for Covid19
I had a plethora of questions
Who is it?
Where did they work?
Did I pass them in the hallway?
Did we talk in the hallway?
Are they going to be okay?
As these questions swirled within my head
I didn’t break
I continued on as normal
—Submitted on 06/23/2020
Doret Canton was raised in the Bronx, and currently lives in Atlanta.
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