In this case novel means new.
New virus,
New way of living.
New means people at home and businesses closed,
Unemployment rates soaring,
Telecommuting becoming routine.
New levels of stress,
New levels of fear,
New levels of hunger.
While internet usage soars and computers freeze,
Some families go without news, without school, without food,
New levels of poverty for those already poor.
New feelings of loss for those who thought they were doing okay.
New debts, for people and governments.
New leaders rise and provide a voice of reason.
New reasons arise to doubt the mighty.
New numbers every day,
Tested, infected, dead.
New hospital beds in hotels, shopping centers, abandoned warehouses.
Novel means new and feels like fiction.
Safer at home is the new catch phrase.
Six foot distance is the new normal.
Face masks, newly made from cloth or paper.
New realization that no one is immune,
No one is guaranteed of being safe.
Novel can mean new hope,
New ideas, new relationships,
New strengths, new heroes.
New ways to live,
New ways to become close without touching.
Novel means new,
New means the chance for creativity and will to beat adversity.
The novelty may be growing old,
But we are living the story,
And all of us are helping write the ending.
