Someone in China could have been more careful
Someone in Europe should have stayed at home
When the sniffles came
shouldn’t have gone skiing
or partying.

Fewer people would have gotten sick
fewer would have died
fewer would have turned right-wing
or we wouldn’t have noticed as much
We would have fewer depressed people
fewer poor people
fewer lonely people.

We would have celebrated more
would have hugged more
would have shaken hands more
and we would have coughed at each other in the tram more
would have gotten the flu
and we would have been happier
when an event had been canceled
that we didn’t want to go to anyway.

We would still think
that the neighbour is just weird
Tin foil hat, we would have called him
not anti-Semite
racist
We would have thought that he is just a bit strange
but „strange“ doesn’t kill
racism does.

We would still believe
that we are all equal
we wouldn’t have known
that dad’s job is more important
which is why you should go to mum
with your homework assignment, please
dad has a meeting
mum, too?
Well okay, but dad makes more money.

We would still think
that there is no money
for people fleeing war
we wouldn’t have known
that billions appear from thin air
when airlines must be saved
and I know: airlines are jobs
and jobs are people
but people are people, too
Or are they not?

We would have continued
as if everything was normal
just like everything is now back to normal
completely normal.

Maria Tramountani