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A new project looks to tap into the hope that comes with finally getting a COVID-19 vaccine through poetry.

Global Vaccine Poem: Dear Vaccine

Rami Daud/Rami Daud / Kent State Universit
/
Kent State University
Amoaba Gooden, Vice President for diversity at Kent State University offers up her verse in this series, A Global Vaccine Poem.

My name is Amoaba Gooden. My pronouns are she, her, and hers. And I wrote my poem as an offer of hope to my community, to my family, and to myself. Here is my poem:

Dear Vaccine

Dear vaccine, thank you.

Thank you in advance

for providing hope and possibilities.

Thank you for pushing back

against death, mourning and despair.

Thank you for healing.

Thank you for saving.

Thank you for life.

Dear vaccine, thank you for listening

to the struggle of the people,

for hearing the voice of humanity,

for giving me time –

time to love,

time to hold,

time to hug.

Dear vaccine, thank you for allowing me

to re-enter the world,

not as I was before,

but with much resolve:

with more faith,

with more fight,

and with more hope.

Dear vaccine, thank you for traveling the earth.

Thank you for opening up the future

to the children of the world,

to my children,

to us all.