Up Close: “Undiagnosed Unknowns” by Gabriel Ramirez

In the poem “Undiagnosed Unknowns,” Gabriel Ramirez shares his personal and wide-ranging perspective on the COVID-19 crisis. Surveying emotions and memories in the social landscape of the pandemic, Ramirez turns his attention from his experience of illness to biased policing, the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black people, and fear as he has lived it. “Who knows,” he asks, “of an answer that will direct us toward hope?” As an answer, Ramirez offers solace in the practice of gratitude, poetry, and care. “Up Close” is a digital series that invites artists and creative thinkers to contribute new artworks and discussions exploring what it means to think about the world and make art right now.