Immoral Panic

JONATHAN FLETCHER

May 8, 2020

a virus spreads

We are not immune.

outbreaks of illness

They’re the carriers.

fear of foreign bodies

They’ll infect us all.

possible exposure

Avoid all contact.

risk of contamination

They brought this here.

more cases confirmed

We must inoculate ourselves.

masses quarantined

We’re protected now.

patient zero identified

How can he be one of us?

masses still isolated

We can never trust them.

virus contained at border

We’ve cleansed ourselves of them.

JONATHAN FLETCHER is an alumnus of Northeast School of the Arts (NESA), the University of Chicago, and Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio.  His work has been published in the regional literary magazine, Lone Stars, as well as the Lake’s literary journal, The Thing Itself.