Labs, chest x-rays, fluids and medicine given,
Then back home as my husband had driven;
Once home, he helped me inside as bidden,
A simple sinus infection had much ambition.

My husband gently shampooed and showered me,
While I stood next to him, my bone pain beastly;
Gently he combed my hair, dried and dressed me,
Ten steps at a time, dizziness swirled like the sea.

Two weeks of 24 hour cares from my husband, I received,
My cough and shortness of breath unrelieved;
My time on Earth was short, I perceived,
I knew my husband and son would be bereaved.

Sure enough, many more people were stricken,
Businesses and churches closed or destroyed with division;
Wear a mask and wash hands was the new condition,
A mantra of six feet apart was the new volition.

Discharged home with Covid-19 pneumonia,
Loss of taste and scent, no smell from the begonia;
Weakness of speech, now hypophonia,
I was sent home without my nurse, Sonja.

I’m a statistic, one who survived, on the long haul,
Fighting, struggling, yet scared as I bawl;
It seemed life kept throwing a curve ball,
Everyone watched and awaited my downfall.

Too sick to dress or apply makeup,
I went to the doctor for a follow up;
Sipping clean water from a paper cup,
I’m afraid if I fall asleep, I might not wake up,

Now I’m on the long haul of this Covid-19 virus,
One small droplet of a viral germ not desirous;
Relentlessly, it still wreaks havoc like a bad retrovirus,
God’s faithful healing and prayers of many inspire us.

It didn’t matter, my saturations and respiratory failure,
No beds left in the hospital, everything was a blur;
No one there, I felt lost at sea like a lone sailor,
Slowly I became well with faith in Jesus, my savior.

He wanted me alive, my work not yet complete,
I started teaching about Covid-19 via a tweet;
Honest suggestions for all with each heart beat,
Doing His work, teaching, giving of self so sweet.

By Mary L Schmidt, 20 November 2020