Can We Do This?

Can we do this?
Can we put our pearls on
while the house burns?

Can we do this?
Can we bring the bins out
to the curb of a trembling volcano?

Can we do this?
Can we teach children lowercase letters
while we run out of ventilators?

Can we do this?
Can we clock in and send emails and do budgets
in the eye of the storm?

Can we do this?
Can we pretend that walking on barbed wire
feels like floating?