Then This Happened

It's the day before Christmas, or the big day itself
Either way by now you should be done playing elf
But as the new year approaches it's a chance to reflect
On all that has happened, what went right, what was wrecked

The most pressing concern we're still figuring out
The how, when and why, what this pandemic's about
Once the vaccines got started we thought it wouldn't be long
Till all was behind us, just a dream that went wrong

But it's two years later and we've made a hard turn
To living our lives with new rules that we've learned
Masks off only sometimes, vax cards at the ready
But wait: here comes Omicron, we're back to unsteady

But more than just COVID has commanded our view 
It started in January with a sight that chilled thru
A mob storming the Capital, a gang dead set to change
A result they resisted, it all seemed deranged

Yet in spite of that sideshow the results stayed the same
And in two of the branches a new leader was named
In tone and in substance a change to the flow
Though the jury's still out as to how it all goes

Elsewhere was also a swap of the guards
Some longstanding leaders punched their timecards
In Israel they showed Bibi the door was the way
In Germany Angela finally called it a day 

But while politics sucks oxygen out of the air
In other arenas there was still plenty to share

A ship stuck in the Suez, Ida flooded the states
An ice storm in Texas, a Mars rover did skate

Any number of gatherings started up once more
Though for some only TV could follow the score
The Olympics went forward with no fans in the stands
While Italia beat England, and 60K clapped their hands

Other stuff not so weighty rose to the top of the page
Britney was freed, the Squid Game was the rage
The first tourists in space, but only those with cash
The Bucs won the Super, Kim and Kanye got trashed

And of all the big things to get caught in the glare
One was all about who would take over the chair
In the form of a question, maybe Ken or LeVar?
It went pretty poorly, Trebek's legacy was scarred

Some took their last bows, capping lives that did sing
Mondale and Powell, Hank Aaron, Larry King
Sondheim, Prince Philip, Al Unser, Bob Dole
Just some well known faces for whom the bells tolled

So much to report, yet so much is the same
We can only hope next year this mess really wanes
Till then thanks for reading, and from me to you
Best wishes to all for a better ‘22

-END-

Marc Wollin of Bedford thanks all for spending some time in this space. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.