by Earl J. Wilcox
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| Özlem Türeci, left, and Uğur Şahin of BioNTech. Backed by Pfizer, their vaccine is 90% effective in stopping people from falling ill. Photograph: Wolfgang Eilmes/FAZ Foto via The Guardian, December 6, 2020. |
Metaphors pile up to describe
our anticipation as we await
the first doses, await the vaccines’
power to save us. Doubtless we
elderly will not live long enough
to know the whole story of how
and who and where the scientists
worked and worked to develop
the long-awaited medicine.
Alert! Octogenarians! Give up
today’s nap, rise in praise of vaccine saviors.
Earl Wilcox in his late 80s awaits the vaccine in South Carolina.