We didn’t track the AQI, until
the fires grew so frequent and nearby.
With Covid now increasing daily kill,
we pay attention to how many die.

Some commentators claim deaths don’t exceed
the normal numbers (yes I sometimes read
the radical, the way my brother views,
as counterpoint and test of strength, Fox News).

Mercola makes some points. And I’m too old
to trust the words of governors or trade.
But haven’t crowded hospitals displayed
compelling evidence, and dreadful cold
hard numbers? ICUs and EMTs
make obvious the toll of this disease.