That Chicken Has Come Home To Roost

I’ve caught COVID: are you shocked?
Since most precautions I have mocked.
I said that we had turned a corner; we
now know this plague’s kind of ornery.

How was I exposed, and when?
I’ve gotten tests time and again,
as well as all those in my orbit.
This is big news – let’s absorb it.

Masks: without I’ve oft been pictured,
disregarding safety strictures.
Crowds are something to avoid
and yet – big rallies I’ve enjoyed.

Among those on my team, a few
have coughed, or wheezed, or gone “Ah-CHOO!”
But one who’s often in my presence
just began her convalescence.

She fell indisposed mid-week;
a COVID test she then did seek.
And even though I knew what fazed her,
I still hosted a fund-raiser.

Next step now: there’s contact tracing.
My supporters are now bracing
for the word if they’ve been stricken.
The election plot now thickens.

Now that I’ve been diagnosed
can’t go from pillar to next post.
Regrettably, I’ll be abstaining
from what I love most: campaigning.

Will I make it to the finish
if my health becomes diminished?
Will I quickly bounce back
from a less-pronounced track?

Will Mike Pence soon have to step up
while each day I get a checkup?
Will this illness now make moot
my re-election goal pursuit?

How will this affect debating
While my health is enervating?
How will this turn out? Unknown –
But blame here’s mine and mine alone.