• From a challenge on a biosci newsgroup (during the Ebola media-hyped terror that seemed to pervade the internet), to write a poem that began with the line: ` "Outbreak" is a movie; "The Hot Zone" is a book...'
Those Fascinating Filoviridae...
"Outbreak" is a movie; "The Hot Zone" is a book--
This hemorrhagic fever sure has the world ashook.
For all the fascination with Filoviridae,
More people die from cholera on any given day.
More die from influenza, TB, and meningitis;
The hype is just another round of selfish TV-itis.
It's easy being so concerned when vicariously thrilled
With all the distant, violent ways that people can be killed.
So easy just to run your mouth and escalate the scare--
It's much more fun than studying the info that's out there.
So read the novels, watch the news, and feel your tensions rise:
The truth has not the same appeal as titillating lies.
- Tara K. Harper
from 2005...
[
link to www.tarakharper.com]
United Kingdom
