I Will Hold You Again

A Spoken Word

A message from the author:

Thank you for listening to this piece. 

Writing this piece was very difficult, performing this piece was even harder. 

The simple reason was that there was more I wanted to say. I think you can hear it in my voice. There is more to this picture. 

I wanted to address the people who believe COVID-19 is a hoax, I wanted to tell them their fears and concerns are understandable. There has been so much misinformation since the very start of this pandemic that it has become very difficult for many people to truly understand the gravity of this pandemic. 

As of February 5th, 2020, 2.3 million people have died because of COVID-19. 

If you want to make the argument that these people had underlying health concerns, please remember:

None of us are going to live forever. 

Whether or not you think COVID-19 was the sole cause of 2.3 million deaths is irrelevant. The real question is this: Would these people have had more time with loved ones had they not been infected by COVID-19? 

Would someone have had the opportunity to hold their first grandchild? To see their son graduate? To celebrate one more Christmas or birthday? 

If you have ever lost a loved one, you know that time matters. A year more, three days more, it makes a difference. 

I wanted to address the way COVID-19 has disproportionately affected black communities and indigenous communities, and I wanted to address the racism behind “China Virus”. I wanted to say that politicizing a public health crisis has been one of the cruellest things anyone has ever done. 

It’s frustrating that there’s so much more I know that needs to be said but simply can not be covered in just 3 minutes. 

So in the face of the endless trauma and massive loss that this pandemic has created, I am asking you to please, 

Please hold out for a little longer. 

For the people we’ve lost, for the suffering that we are still enduring, 

Stay at home. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Don’t travel. Don’t waste precious testing resources so you can travel “safely”. There is nothing safe about taking COVID-19 testing resources away from front-line workers who have no choice but to face the virus everyday just so that you can go to the Bahamas. 

Maybe you hear the frustration in my tone.

Maybe you also hear the hope. 

This pandemic will end. 

I know that we can make it through. 

So please, hold out for a little longer.  

- Ruthie Zhuang (Author)

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