The Lasting Echoes of COVID-19

It started with a cough and a sneeze,
A virus spreading with ease,
The world turned upside down,
As fear and panic all around.

Mental health took a heavy toll,
With loneliness and anxiety growing,
Trapped in homes with no escape,
We all felt the weight.

The constant news, the endless scroll,
Of numbers rising, cases untold,
Our minds a whirlpool of fear,
As the pandemic drew near.

But then a glimmer of hope,
With vaccines on the way,
The world slowly starting to heal,
As the end of the pandemic we feel.

But even now, long after it's gone,
The echoes of COVID-19 live on,
In the minds of those who survived,
Memories of the toll it derived.

We carry on with newfound strength,
With resilience that we have gained,
But the scars remain deep inside,
A reminder of the toll this pandemic did provide