I’m Omicron, son of Delta
I skipped generations
from four to fifteen
letters of the Greek alphabet
I’ve outrun Delta
gone after 200,000 more
surpassed a million
despite decrees, desires
for the old normal
—that hell
for everyone (but the dead)
to get back to work
forget your boosters
travel bans and masks
after all this time
you still don’t get what global means
you may be faster
smarter now
but after two and a half years
so am I
your rich country as backward
as the ones you’ve impoverished
but you win again, America
tally the most dead
so dream on about “herd immunity”
your unvaxed forty percent
still my gateway
and I’m here to stay