Sputnik V

V is for vaccine:

the primal adversary against

a viral pathogen, ubiquitous and yet sparingly lethal,

heretofore unseen and yet hauntingly familiar.

Or is V for vector?

A vehicle, designed specifically to thrust

viral mRNA upon the human genome;

a vicarious introduction intended to blunt infectivity.

Or is V for victory, as Sputnik is for victory?

A vanquishing, simultaneously thwarting coronal encroachment

and the superiority complex of the West;

a political venture, a recasting of races for armament and space.

Or is V for vainglorious?

A virginal attempt, devoid of proper data?

An avaricious impropriety, shipping uncertainty across

taciturn borders into countries and continents of desperation.

V can be used to victimize or verify.

It can validate unsafe medical practices, encouraging replication,

or can be seen as a nadir of villainy, a confirmation of fraud and ineptitude.

Only time and the virus have the voices to tell.