Looking at Stupidity

What will we do in a crowd
When the noise becomes loud
A mask for safety allowed
Wrapped in a comforting shroud
As through the throng we ploughed
Coronavirus remains uncowed

Save us Lord from stupidity

Afraid of disease we remain
The only course for the sane
From close quarters abstain
Though wearing a mask is a pain
Its the cost of health to maintain
And disease prevention attain
Don’t whine and complain
Stay safe use your brain

Save us Lord from stupidity

Government and businesses close
Wear masks to cover mouth and nose
To flatten the curve they propose
Still some the order oppose
The old and frail they expose
Flippant they thumb their nose

Save us Lord from stupidity

The above is a poetry form called The Bop. It consists of 3 stanzas with a single line refrain after each stanza. All stanzas are written as monorhymes. The first stanza is 6 lines long and presents a problem. The second stanza is 8 lines long and expands on the problem. The third stanza is 6 lines long and documents the solution or failed attempt to resolve the problem.

My state is now “open” for business. Our cases had been declined but now a spike in new cases is occurring. I attribute this to the small but fierce group that refuse to keep their distance and will not “out of principle” wear a mask. These are the same group that refuse to wear seatbelts, adamantly refuse to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle, and when I was working as a compliance officer had 101 excuses not to wear safety equipment. They were always the first to assure me that nothing would happen to them. Ususally just before I had to record an OSHA reportable incident… Of course this stupidity in the time of COVID-19 doesn’t just put them at risk. I’m not sure how long we will remain distanced but I suspect that I may not feel like mingling at a dine in restaurant for awhile longer. The church has been holding services since June 6th but restricting the number of persons permitted in the church at any one time. That prohibition will continue through August, as will the live streaming of the Mass. Our Pastor has been adamant that you MUST wear a mask. He maintains that the Bishop has mandated wearing masks and we WILL BE OBEDIENT! I was pretty sure there would be 100% compliance. However there were several people who gained entrance wearing masks and then promptly took them off. I was hoping the ushers would gently remind them that the masks were not optional as in “this is not Wal-Mart!” In the face of that occurance I’m going to attend via live streaming. I’ve even sewn some additional masks so that we can be sure to always have a clean mask handy…