We thought the vaccines would end it. Cases dropped, masks came off, optimism surged. And then Delta whispered through the headlines, a sharper, faster strain hitching a ride on our arrogance. America declared victory before the war was over.
In Durango, people crowded back into bars, tourists spilled off the train, and masks became a punchline again. Freedom, they called it. Delta called it an invitation. Science builds miracles; America treats them like party favors. Another round begins, and half the country still thinks the enemy is Fauci, not a virus.