Love in the Time of Coronavirus – a poem by Pat Graham
Love in the Time of Coronavirus
We are the people keeping shops stocked everywhere
With our hearts in our mouths, while we’re breathing your air
We’ll supply bread and toilet rolls throughout this crisis
We know you’re frustrated but please, don’t shout at us
We are the truck drivers, funeral director
The chemist, cleaner, teacher and bin collector
The postie, the farmer, the lady driving your bus
Even if you’re busy, don’t forget about us
We are the wee charities working on your behalf
Creating small miracles with dedicated staff
Our funding is paltry, but our workers are tireless
Wherever you may be, please don’t forget about us
They are the many thousands of new volunteers
Just give them a job; what it might be, they don’t care
They just want to be useful and industrious
When it’s all over, will they forget about us?
We are the general public, stuck inside our homes
We can’t see our families so we’re glued to our phones
We clap once a week for all those who inspire us
In their efforts, to surmount Coronavirus
We are the carers, looking after your family
We’re tired and scared, but come to work every day
We don’t have PPE to protect from the virus
So please, we implore you, don’t forget about us
We’re the special needs families, at home in lockdown
Our schools and our day services may have closed down
We have little support but we don’t make a fuss
So for pity’s sake please, don’t forget about us
I am one of those mums who is waiting alone
I can’t visit my child supported in her own home
When I don’t come to visit she’ll be really anxious
Please spare a few moments, and don’t forget about us
We are all those people who are so often unseen
We don’t know what they mean, when they say Covid-19
Some people may think that we don’t have lives worth living
We’d be second choice for treatments that are life-giving
We beg you not to send us to the back of the queue
Please don’t forget about us, because we’re just like you
I am the person who might not make it through
A nurse holds out a hand for me to cling to
No loved ones are here to keep me company
Please, if you’re listening, don’t forget about me