It feels like such a long time ago now
Since we learned to pronounce names like Hubei and Wuhan
They also seemed so far away
And in a very remote kind of the way we watched the numbers grow
The number of cases
The number of deaths
Busy streets strangely empty
It was all happening over there. (cont.)
Then suddenly it was all happening everywhere
Then it was happening over here.
We learned that a virus can travel quicker than a refugee.
That it has no ethnicity No religion too.
No age or gender preference
It knew no boundaries
It had no personality
Only the singular desire to survive and replicate
‘Going forth into the world to multiply’
No border force could hold it back
Multi-billion dollar military toys were useless against it.
Only isolation and cleanliness equalled protection.
“Cleanliness is next to Godliness” my mother used to say.
(I thought she was only talking about my bedroom)
And, my neighbour waved to me today.
Usually she just smiles and nods.
She called out ‘Good morning’ from across the street.
In the midst of physical isolation
The notion of community is experiencing some kind of resurrection.
David Pargeter 2020
