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GRACE MEGNET

May 11, 2020

Two nameless dudes in masks with loaded guns,

in hefty boots, stand guard outside a nail

salon. Open the goddamn store! Not one

will tread on me, their flag proclaims. They hail

Jesus and bucks. The virus though, gives heed

to none but slowly sieves through creeds uncaught.

It is a hoax, proclaims the ruler’s tweet.

The virus smiles. He is in charge and not

the rich; the mighty’s swords of no effect.

The virus creeps relentlessly and still

from town to town, from North to South unchecked

by walls and rules, by crafty words and will.

We want our rights. We will not bend, they yell.

Send us with polished nails and hair to hell.

GRACE MEGNET holds an MFA in painting. She is an Associate Professor at Lamar State College - Port Arthur and a Piper Professor of 2019. She grew up in Switzerland. Twenty years ago, she came to the United States. Signing up for a creative writing class was her last frontier, and Jerry Bradley made her an American. If she did not have to work, she would spend her life painting, making pots, and writing. She came to TACWT in 2013 when she won the non-fiction category for the first time. She lives in Beaumont, TX with her husband who keeps teaching her English.