Co-Vide

I want to sit
In a small cafe
And drink an espresso
As people walk by the window
Uninterested, unafraid
Unaffected by the death
That seems to lurk
In every person, table, shopping trolley.
I want to go to work
And smile at people
A visible smile
Not hidden
By a mask.
A mask not of death but of fear
For myself
For those I love
At home, sad from
The news that keeps coming
The stories telling of more
Out of work
Trying to decide
What to do without.