These are the poems I have written during the Corona virus pandemic; chronicling and commenting on the news stories and social impact of this dystopian period. There will be nineteen – if I don’t loose the will.
Do feel free to copy and share, so long as you include the copyright notice at the end of each poem.
COVID-1
Dystopian days and inebriate nights
A pause in plausible thought
And fixation secured on essentiality
Education becomes academic
Are red peppers better than green?
Copyright © Diny van Kleeff 2020
COVID-2
Is collateral damage
A merrily summed average
Of the ones who survived
Getting sick, but imbibed
Deathly-sized doses of vodka
And news?
Copyright © Diny van Kleeff 2020
COVID-3
The humble loo roll
Got a shiny new role
As an emblem of greed
For those who succeeded
To procure one or two
Dozen packs for their loo.
Copyright © Diny van Kleeff 2020
COVID-6
Stick ‘em in quick!
Don’t tell ‘em they’re sick
They’re senile, demented
Their life-span near-ended
—
War heroes, mothers and lovers and wives
Ex-nurses and bakers and people whose lives
Were fulsome and vital and just like ours now
But they’re broken, forgetful – worthless somehow
—
So, stick ‘em in quickly
The infectious and sickly
Our care homes have beds
Callous ministers said.
Copyright © Diny van Kleeff 2020
COVID-7
You can’t touch his balls
And he can’t touch yours
Though to kick them is perfectly fine
But avoid ball confusion
Preserve your seclusion
By staining your balls in some way
You can handle your own, though
Oh, please do not groan
‘Cos that’s how you play tennis today
Copyright © Diny van Kleeff 2020
COVID-9
So, The Trump’s got a new prophylactic
Well, isn’t that an interesting tactic?
He’s moved on from preaching
The merits of bleaching
To a drug that is in common use
–
But, whether it works
Is sending Twitter berserk
His dissenters are shouting
‘He’ll keel over while touting’
This drug for its off-label use
–
And who else is quaffing
To save them from coughing
Is it true, are there lies
Will The Donald survive
This drug and its contentious use?
Copyright © Diny van Kleeff 2020
COVID-11
If the figures run through
And it turns out to be true
That it kills like a flu
What will we do?
When next flu season’s here
Will we lockdown in fear
Year on year, after year
Can we shut down our lives
Will our businesses survive?
Will our mental health?
Decline with our wealth?
As the pockets of wealthy
Whose assets stay healthy
Will splash their reserves
On the final preserves
Of the small that have fallen.
Copyright © Diny van Kleeff 2020
Images from Unsplash:
COVID-9 Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash
COVID-6 Photo by Gert Stockmans on Unsplash
COVID-11 Photo by Bryan Angelo on Unsplash
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