A little mRNA Vaccination Poem

Written on the way back from shot #1

They just injected into me an MRNA vaccine.

What that means is they sent instructions to my left bicep muscle cells on how to make a protein.

This same protein occurs on COVID 19.

This is not the same as injecting COVID 19 into me…
Which is actually how some other vaccines work, and wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing…though it definitely sounds scary.

We’re not particularly good societally at understanding complicated things.

Anyway, now my body’s making antibodies, learning how to fight this protein.

Scientists figured out a way to put into me a safe training ground to fight the real disease should it ever find its way inside of me, without needing to expose me to the real disease directly.

Frankly, that sounds pretty amazing.

Studies are finding people with this vaccine are essentially immune from severe cases of COVID 19.

A disease that’s killed roughly 300,000 more human beings
than would have died in that time normally.

There’s debate about the number of deaths truly related to this disease, but it’s tough to argue with that level of excess mortality.

If I activate the anti-vaxxer inside of me,
I hear the calls of “I don’t want to put some rushed new thing in my body!” I can hear the calls of how little we actually know about anything, and how this disease has a high survival rate generally. Of how fear is a virus and one that has been spreading rapidly.

I’m reminded of Emily, a woman I was with at the beginning of this thing.

When we knew little more than that a deadly virus was spreading.

We didn’t know much about how it was spreading.

We weren’t touching anything outside of our domain.

Wiping all things down with disinfectant something.

We were treating the outside world like it was toxic.

And I remember she said to me, “anything I do I want to do out of Love, not fear here.”

“I want to take precautions because I love myself, and I love others, and that’s the place I want to act from.”

I thought that was filled with wisdom. Strived to act accordingly.

Fear IS a virus.

So is rationalization.

It sneaks in and pretends it has good reasons. It disguises a different kind of fear.

I can hear it calling, “I don’t want to put some rushed new thing in my body!”
“Do you know how little we actually know about anything? And how this disease has a high survival rate generally.”

It’s against my own values to force anyone to do anything.

It’s also against my values to pretend it’s not fear talking when it’s fear talking.

I love myself and those around me, too much to risk giving them something deadly I can avoid giving.

Such a drastic difference in severe cases and hospitalizations is too powerful for ignoring.

I trust the collaborative efforts of humanity

I’m grateful to those who have worked tirelessly to make human connection for our elders less scary.

Whatever you choose, I hope you do it from Love and don’t succumb to your own self deceiving.

I’m excited the day is coming soon when i can hug my mother without so much planning.