Stephanie Choi
Let Me Ride You Bareback Into the Soft Apocalypse
I heard from someone who heard from somewhere else
That this could be called the beginning of the soft apocalypse.
If that’s the case, I want to ride you
Bareback right into it.
The thing is, though, I don’t think it’s the beginning
We’re already so deep into it. Slow, silent
Ways of killing that go unnoticed
Unreported in the 24 hour news cycle
Invisible. As it is to so many & far off
The temperature in Antarctica reached 69 degrees last month,
While your legs were entwined around mine, post-coital
Under the covers, keeping me warm in my 62 degrees kept home.
That was all before though. Before
The graphs came out showing the predicted &
Exponential rise of deaths due to this
Virus, in America. Before
There was anyone hoarding
Toilet paper & hand sanitizer.
Before the streets went dull
& everyone worked from home or didn’t work
At all. Because of lay-offs,
Less commuting. And because of that
Greenhouse gas emissions dip down slightly. Before,
There was still some hope you’d text me back.
But, I guess you’re practicing social distancing
As recommended.
What gets recognized to be a pandemic? Not
The loss of icebergs, but the loss
Of the people who caused it. & not
The little heartbreaks I face
From all the others & you ghosting me,
But the virus that didn’t even cause it.
This was all going to happen either way
So, what do you say? Come back to me
& let’s go? This is the beginning
Not of the soft apocalypse
But of the eternal lake that’s beyond. With the bluebirds
& all, alive and singing.
—Submitted on 04/12/2020
Stephanie Choi holds a BA from the University of Arizona and was a recipient of Cleveland Foundation Public Service Fellowship.
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