So he imprisoned himself? Or is that 

The right term? He locked himself down?

He shielded himself from the virus

With those corrugated GI sheets

That would only allow us glimpse 

His red shorts and street-worn flip-flops?

No, he wouldn’t sneak out of his detention

By crawling under the beam that helped

Keep the GI sheets upright. And the scant

Shade of the scrawny coconut palm,

An accent of green against dirty concrete

Its trunk crooked and emaciated,

Constant reminder of the city’s hunger. 

We even agree with the use of prison terms, 

That the boy has in fact given up any sort

Of freedom. How noble then, or how apt 

For self-preservation. He wouldn’t want 

To infect others or catch the death

Of himself as if he were aware of it.

So, of what had he deprived himself?

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