January was the month to plan for a vacation.
Spring would soon come and as the rising sun shown on each day
the vacation in the view of daydreamers was only months away.
The sounds of rustling through the closet and the frustration of picking out vacation clothes came with the excitement of knowing that now, in only a few months the ship will set sail. Imagining the sea, forgetting about the busy life, or the privileged life…no wait…a comfortable life…

Counting down the days, marking them off the calendar, calling friends… “Hey there, are you ready for our cruise?” while cutting the air with laughter and hopes of meeting the next fling on the island getaway…this is a much-needed getaway…Mai Tai’s and blue skies…finding locals to help escort around the island…living in the face a danger but who cares because “you only live once”…palm trees and night time festivities playing tropical sounds so soothing to the ears for relaxation and tranquility. On the other side, there’s sounds of calypso or reggae or Hawaiian island vibes…blaring as bodies slide across the room seductively…sweat dropping to the ground…a cesspool of germs sticking to the bottom of shoes…not knowing what’s lurking there.

It’s a vacation right, family fun, friends full of adventure, children with passes bought by their parents for free soft drinks and unlimited time at the ships kids/teen friendly activities…screaming, laughing, enjoying their time…parents escaping their children, elders taking a stroll around the ship’s corridors…enjoying the fresh air…the air that hides particles…from human breath to coughs that are associated with allergies…allergies…you know sneezing, coughing, sinus headaches…never was there an indication that allergies would be this deadly…

Cabins and berths filled with individuals with allergies…or flu like symptoms…this vacation has turned into hell. Days ago there was frolicking and not a care in the world…those children are no longer heard playing…there’s uncertainty of where these symptoms came from…was it on the ship before or was it brought on the ship by others…lingers in the minds of those who have been contained in their small quarters…quarantined…lockdown on a ship that was supposed to be an unforgettable experience…and it truly will always be just that…

No one will allow the ship to dock…no one will allow the passengers to get off…no one hears the cries of the families and friends of those who have died on the ship. Scrambling for a feeling of safety but never feeling safe…there was a reminder of a virus that had been lurking before the cruise…but many did not heed to the dangers of the virus…there’s not many people with allergies…only fevers and a mass amount of people scared and wanting someone to let the ship dock…anyone, can you let the ship dock…there’s no freedom on the ship and the smell of despair is in the air…

Currently the cries of people are unheard, currently the waiting to dock feels like time is passing by without an end in sight…but this needs to end…not time…but the cruise…currently, the understanding of the virus comes with the realization that vacationing at this time was an innocent mistake…now the question lingers, “who has been infected?” Currently, life is deemed with a value…even more than ever before…currently privilege seems a bit ignorant…currently the idea that this vacation could have waited, occupies mental space… currently this vacation is not a dream…Currently On Vacation In Despair.