2020 is a year that was ushered
with all humanity cheering
with fireworks and ululations
as they bid 2019 away;
with all its insurmountable hardships,
burdens, woes and tribulations.
Humanity wanted to just move on,
to a better year,
even when reports had emerged
of an epidemic that was ravaging China
and the difficulties that China
was facing to contain it;
but humanity went on
with life as usual
as if nothing else mattered
except to get into 2020;
hoping that what was happening in China
would remain there.
Then, however, the epidemic spread,
first to Europe, then to the Americas
and soon it was everywhere;
the World Health Organization
declared it a pandemic.
The whole World came to a standstill;
no flights, and no cross-border movement.
The word, ‘lockdown’,
was added to the vocabulary;
everyone was suddenly indoors
trying to evade an invisible virus.
Everyone had to adorn a mask;
hand washing became obligatory;
humanity could not hug, nor greet;
they had to be one and a half
metres apart.
But still the virus spread
because humanity
could not be contained;
they became tired and fatigued.
Many believed
that Covid-19 was not real,
that it was a hoax;
and so they congregated the World over,
in funerals, in public rallies,
in synagogues, and in protest marches;
thus creating fertile ground for
the virus to spread.
Humanity died in hordes;
but then, towards the tail end of 2020,
reports of suitable vaccines
that could be used to mitigate against
the dangers posed by the virus emerged.
The first humans started receiving
shots of the vaccine in the arms;
which raised humanity’s hopes
that the year 2021 might be
a better year than 2020.
During the whole course of 2020,
nothing else occupied
the minds of humanity, but the virus.
And with the increasing hopes
that the vaccine will eliminate the virus
and bring back the World
to its status before the virus;
there are all indications
that 2021 will be a year of the vaccine
that will mitigate against the virus;
it is clear that 2021 will be
ushered in by humanity
with even more fireworks and ululations
than 2020, because of the hope that,
when all will be immunized,
all hardships, burdens, woes
and tribulations of 2020,
including those brought by the virus
zitakua zimezikwa kwa kaburi la sahau;
that they will be things of the past;
and that life will come back to normal
where humanity can once more
freely mingle, hug, kiss, and congregate,
as they wish
without adorning a mask.
