POEM #7 INTRODUCTION Surprisingly, I am past the paralyzing fear. Now redirecting the anger. I am not so overwhelmed to the point of helplessness. My mind is calm, though the heart aches in mourning for those who have suffered and are suffering in this COVID-19 pandemic. My muse caresses my thoughts as it urges me to speak about these menacing times we face today. This poem is courtesy of my muse, an unexpected guest since February, a muse that has definitely  overstayed one's welcome. My Masked Self at Breakfast When Someone Coughed. ©James Sobredo MENACING TIMES These are not ordinary times. The clock points somewhere at the edge of calm Tiptoeing on a tightrope approaching The brink of a hazardous curve In a terrain unfamiliar, a mindless slip Could mean the end. How does one travel Through a time in history to glean A few lessons in confronting An enemy with no face Except under a microscope Recognizable only to a trained fe...