Year End 2020

A year of sorrow is soon ending, goodbye to 2020,
Miss you we will not, you’ve brought bad news aplenty.
As we struggle towards yearend, of better days we are desirous,
We won’t so soon forget, this grim year of coronavirus.
Forevermore our lives have changed, so too our daily tasks,
As we stare into a Zoom, and don our cotton masks.
Exposed this year it has, our lack of ready for pandemic,
Deep divisions in our society, and racism that’s systemic.
Before we turn the page, let’s take some time just to reflect,
And review all that’s transpired, each event we will dissect.

It snuck up on us slowly, and then with a sudden quickness,
Across the globe it spread, this horrid covid sickness.
Our closeness was our enemy, human bonds became our sins,
From a bat or from a lab, we’ll never know its origins.
By spring we were in lockdown, our behavior somewhat manic,
We disinfected every package, and hoarded TP in panic.
Ventilators, PPE, and testing, all in desperate short supply,
States pitted against each other, as we all wondered why.
Days at home stretched into months, and we all became quite grouchy,
We binge watched Tiger King, and grew fond of Doctor Fauci.

Spirits lifted with the temperature, and gatherings moved outside,
Some things began reopening, as infections did subside.
While the NBA prepared to bubble, to keep the spread at bay,
Any peace was quickly shattered, on a fateful day in May.
As George Floyd lay upon the street, handcuffed for all to see,
On his neck for nine long minutes, a cop pressed down his knee.
As he lay there slowly dying, and said he couldn’t breathe,
The footage quickly spread, and the nation began to seethe.
Protests raged across the country, people marching in solidarity,
In support of Black Lives Matter, and against police brutality.

Against this wretched backdrop, we had a strange election,
From two granddads in their seventies, we were making a selection.
The vast disparity between them, didn’t take too much explaining,
Quite stark even the difference, in their own styles of campaigning.
As the ballots all were counted, the gap began to widen,
The result was soon revealed, as the swing states broke for Biden.
To the embarrassment of most, Trump has not gracefully conceded,
And with a melting Giuliani, with claims of fraud he has proceeded.
Mr. President it’s over, your lame duck days are numbered,
Of your presence in the White House, we’ll soon be unencumbered.

This year we’ve lost so many, the majority of them nameless,
Over a million and a half from covid, victims that are blameless.
Many legends too were taken, some lives just cut too short,
Kobe Bryant the black mamba, who ruled the basketball court.
Naya Rivera brightly shined, in the glow of glee club lights,
The Honorable RBG, paved the way for women’s rights.
In the Golden Age of cinema, Kirk Douglas was always bold,
Kenny Rogers you did teach us, when to hold and when to fold.
The smiling Regis Philbin, forget you we will never,
The Black Panther Chadwick Boseman, RIP in Wakanda forever.

Don Shula’s undefeated season, no team has ever done the same,
Another feat no one’s repeated, Don Larsen’s World Series perfect game.
We lost other athletic greats, who lit up the big scoreboard,
Maradona and Tom Seaver, Lou Brock and Whitey Ford.
Jack Welch had all the answers, as 20 year boss man of GE,
Alex Trebek took all the questions, as 36 year host of Jeopardy.
Eddie Van Halen and Little Richard, Hall of Famers for their endeavors,
Civil rights leaders from the south, John Lewis and Charles Evers.
Sean Connery the great Scotsman, aka British special agent Bond,
May you continue your heroics, out in the great beyond.

Like everything this year, financial markets too were nuts,
You stood to make big money, but you had to have some guts.
We sold off hard in Feb and March, with all risk assets in the red,
Until we got some major stimulus, from both Congress and the Fed.
Oil futures traded negative, as lockdowns sapped demand,
And with a Saudi/Russia feud, global supply it did expand.
Growth stocks resurged anew, IPOs staged a huge comeback,
A lucky few have been invited, to the raucous party of the SPAC.
As the year draws to a close, a strong bull market is in session,
Not many would have guessed it, in the depths of this year’s recession.

So now we’re in December, and covid cases are exploding,
Vaccines are being rolled out, but the long dark winter is foreboding.
Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, and many others are quite close,
Some need a cold supply chain, and require a double dose.
New things this year we’ve learned, like how a curve is exponential,
We know now what it means, for a worker to really be essential.
So much this year’s been tragic, as a nation we’ve been tested,
But together we will triumph, by this virus we will not be bested.
Happy holidays to all, do your best some cheer to spread,
I tell you with conviction, better days lie not far ahead.