What do MH370 and COVID-19 have in common? No prayers answered.

[Okay. Pardon the click-baiting title. I just couldn’t resist. From now on, it won’t be much on the airliner. More on the frontliners.]

We prayed for the recovery of each of them respectively. Hoping from something more potent and benevolent beyond the limitations of us puny humans. But I’m not writing this to belittle the power of prayer. The video was made during early lockdowns in my despair towards those who believe in a caring god but refusing to take care themselves from getting or preventing infections. They insisted on congregating and going about their communal religious rituals as per normal somehow believing that with their show of faith they will overcome. Even a governmental minister refused to acknowledge the potency of the virus citing that his community has prayer!

Now. Almost a year later. The Song Remains The Same.

In the year of perfect vision

Chiroptera bred a new contagion

Regal with a deadly crown

Reign with rising body count

Who amongst us have less infection

Recovering with rapid succession

None I see. None I hear.

None I read. None I fear

Surely we prayed in fearful fervour

Sought Protection. Grace. And Favour

Still

None I see. None I hear

None I read. None I fear

Prayers prove to be defective

No answers came. No relief

Anecdotes fraught deceptive

All our gods ineffective

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But now I read there comes a vaccine

That doesn’t work like penicillin

It doesn’t need to use the virus

Like it doesn’t need your fervent prayers

I don’t believe prayers were answered

It’s been too long. Too many hurt

Lasting solutions that always work

Are consequences of human effort