I emerged back in 2019
You all laughed, called me fake
But I’m the one laughing
With every life I take
From China to the US
To Italy and the UK
I’m taking the world by storm
Victims dropping like flies
While the rest of you mourn

You all cower in fear
Hiding in your homes
Covering your face
To avoid this plague
To see if I’ll unveil myself
Or if the coast is clear

You cough and gasp
You know you’re in my grasp
Sneezing and wheezing
That’s a bit too dramatic,
Maybe I’m only teasing

But don’t fret, dear
The teasing stops
Once I enter your trachea
Giving you a little tickle
Which you won’t like
But sure makes me giggle

Loud, continuous coughing fits
And loud, desperate gasps
It’s just lovely,
I love your despair
But it doesn’t stop there,
I know it’s not fair
I’m just a simple virus
You expect that I care?
Maybe some migraine
Some flu here and there
And what about exhaustion?
Hmm, yes, that’s a good scare

But what is this?
You’ve all come back out
My headlines,
Seemed to lie low
The one’s I had captured
Escaped and now free
Everyone out in the street
You all seem better
Going back to what you do
So you think you won this fight
But you’ll find I’ll be back
And stronger than you
But for now
Without a heavy heart
I bid you adieu.

Joy Milamala, 17, is from the Trobriand Islands parentage but was born and raised in Port Moresby where she attends Paradise College. She is a Grade 11 Humanities student who hopes to pursue a career in accounting. Joy is a bookworm and considers English to be her one of her favourite subjects. Her immediate goal is to graduate school and get into her dream university, the Pacific Adventist University.