Lockdown #1: Social Endurance
This is the story of a deadly pandemic
A killer virus, it wreaked global havoc
At first, they denied
We panic buyed
Just left the dying to our front-line medics
But society must care for its most vulnerable
Everyone’s life is special and honourable
We could not ignore
The elderly, the poor
But mistakes of our leaders were just intolerable
So ill-prepared for these social experiments
Quarantine bungles meant further impediments
Greater inflictions
More restrictions
When cases broke out in high rise tenements
In desperation, we shut down the community
But overseas travellers came home with impunity
The lack of control
Took such a toll
We lost our chance for COVID immunity
Our most liveable city in prolonged lock-down
Our freedoms, our friends all tightly shut down
Premiers’ orders
To close the borders
Melbourne doomed, a deserted ghost town
Finally instructed to wear a mask
Why’d it take them so long to ask
With such high stakes
Whatever it takes
Melbournians are up for the task
Some leaders said shutdown was an over-reaction
COVID’s a hoax, said the right-wing faction
Nothing to do
It’s just like the flu
The economy comes first, no retraction
We’re now all citizens on the front line
Especially south of the borderline
A one-hour run
Our only fun
Better get home for the curfew on time
Part-time workers, the unemployed
Small businesses, livelihoods, all destroyed
Schools all closed
Year 12 was supposed
To be the final school year, our children enjoyed
The character of people comes out in tough times
Families stranded, in their home confines
All day in one room
Home learning on Zoom
Social isolation is hard on our minds
They say staying apart will bring us together
Wash your hands, get tested, if you feel any fever
Don’t leave home
Stay on your own
But our solitary lives have gone on forever
Politicians finally taking scientific advice
COVID plus climate change, can they do it twice
If the vaccine race
Could set the same pace
To build a cleaner economy, that’d be nice!
So will there be life without COVID-19
Can we produce a salvation vaccine
For elimination
Eradication
Or will we be forever, in social quarantine
But if we face a future without a cure
We will find new ways, to make us safe and secure
We can’t keep the nation
In hibernation
Draconian measures
Without our pleasures
Life will be different, but we will endure
Kevin Holmes • 10th September 2020
