You may count down the numbers,
take us out one by one,
you may flood or burn us
thousands at a time,
you may boast your power,
you may crow your victory,
but no way can you actually win

You say we’re decimated,
but we have something you don’t have,
and never can, something you can never take from us

You boast of deadness,
but that means nothing,
for you are dead, and what we have is life –
it’s just a card trick
to seem to take our numbers,
for life is something you have never taken.
You may seem fearsome,
you may rage on and on,
but we will still be standing when you’re gone.

©Wendy Mulhern
October 23, 2022