Covid-19

In this article, prominent poetry website Write Out Loud champions the anthology and asks me a few pertinent questions.

Published in Solidarity 542, 7 April 2020.

Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) are objecting to the lack of adequate healthcare, the loss of social care support, the erosion of rights – and the ominous attitude that disabled people are somehow less worthy of life.

It's just like any other Saturday night
but without the vomit and with no-one to fight

It's just like Night Tube but nobody's pissed and
the two people here are socially distant

It's just like every other morning after
but without the bleary eyes and laughter

There's no-one to beg from, no tickets to tout
because staying at home is the new going out

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This book is emerging in the UK at the very beginning of April 2020.

Coronavirus has already killed over two thousand people in this country and many thousands more around the world.

Maybe Cummings hadn't heard
Immunity is just a word
Now Dominic is feeling rough
He didn't run quite fast enough

Claps at windows
Claps at doors
Claps with power and verve
Wave on wave
of loud applause
our care workers deserve

Applause spread fast
round our estate
Applause saw us unite
Applause lets us
appreciate
the ones who lead this fight

No-one’s saying leave it to the markets
No-one’s claiming competition’s key
That stockbrokers will lead us from the darkness
None are sneering now at stuff for free

No-one says that laissez-faire will sort it
No-one argues we’ll be saved by greed
None declare just those who can afford it
Should get the test or get the care they need

Stay the fuck home, they yelled
at a grey-haired man in the supermarket
that they were also in

Stay the fuck home, they insisted -
Follow government advice!
(which is not for everyone to Stay the fuck home)

Stay the fuck home, they typed,
logged on to the company account
working from home on full pay