Coronavirus Poetry

A new kind of flu, Covid-19
Appeared on the scene, arrived at market.
At the start, it flew through the air,
Caused quite a scare, from the first sneeze.
Blame the Chinese, Corona-racism.
Please, wash your hands, self-isolate,
There’s been a spate, were you there, fraught?
You’re sure you haven’t caught, coronavirus?
Disinfect, cough into your arm,
Do no harm, don’t travel or fly,
Let it pass by; hard to ignore,
Bought out the store, corona-pandemic?
Corona-pandemonium.

This new type of coronavirus seems to be highly infectious and spreads rapidly. However, it is quite far from the deadliest new disease seen in recent years. The media hype certainly has not helped the situation, leading to some cases of “corona-racism” and other cases of panic buying, empty shelves and “corona-pandemonium”. The best we could all do is follow advice, use some common sense and not to get too blasé about the whole situation either.

Flatten the curve

In the first stanza, each line contains double the number of words of the previous, to show how quickly a virus can spread. In the second stanza, everyone is on board with trying to slow down the spread. Why is this important if the same total number of people fall ill? It gives everyone a better chance by not overloading resources and enabling more people to get the best care. Let’s all try to flatten the curve.

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Communication

I texted you and called you
But you didn’t answer me
Maybe your phone is lost
Or ran out of battery

I wrote you a message
On WhatsApp and Facebook
Maybe you don’t use it?
At least that’s how it looked

I tried to like, follow and share
On Twitter and Instagram
A broken link, beyond repair
That really was a sham

I last saw you on YouTube
Your video was great
I commented, subscribed 
And shared it with a mate

Last time I went on holiday
I posted a postcard
Wanted to Skype you too
But the time difference was hard

I sent multiple emails
Trying to get you to respond
And even checked on Slack
(of that, I thought you were quite fond)

I tried so many times
To communicate with you
Yet you never once replied
What more could I do?

“Call me old fashioned
But one thing I won’t replace
Next time you want to chat
Try talking to my face.”

A poem about communication in the 2020s – with so many ways to communicate, sometimes we still manage to fail. This poem was literally inspired by me overhearing someone say “I texted you and called you” whilst I was walking past.

A reminder that, in this context, face-to-face communication becomes all the more valuable. (Also a reminder, that if you wouldn’t say something in person, perhaps you should think twice about it.)
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