Page 13 - Issue 3 Cornwall Hill

Estate News
God bless South Africa
and Protect her People
Peom written by J.L. Mapstone 05/05/2020
Photograph by Ivan Muller
“ in the form of
Then reality hit
starvation,
And long lines
of people stood
waiting for
rations.
THE bIg PIcTuRE
lIFE In lOckdOWn
It was full blown summer
In the south of the earth.
We had heard of this virus, knew the source of its birth.
News channels were flooded with footage quite scary,
Of people holed up in their homes looking wary.
In our hearts we were grateful it was so far away,
And continued our comings and goings each day.
By March it had oozed to the West from the East,
So, the distance was closing between us and this beast.
Like a bomb it exploded in Italy and Spain.
With the news channels hemorrhaging images of pain,
Mixed with moments of joy mixed with kindness and love.
We looked on from our couches and thanked God above
That it wasn’t quite here, rather there far away.
It had now reached the shores of the Great USA.
Then the trickle began to move down towards us.
Fewer memes, fewer jokes, far less “what’s all the fuss?”
An uncomfortable feeling rising up in our chests
As the numbers rose higher with increased Covid tests.
Now our minds were bombarded with projections and stats
And the source of the scourge moved from reptiles to bats.
Real news mixed with fake, ‘over there’ now ‘right here’
Then a State of Disaster was boldly declared.
Our entire nation sat up and took note with wide eyes.
We applauded our leader as decisive and wise.
For the first time in years politicians agreed,
For goodness and kindness to replace malice and greed.
A feeling of unity and teamwork kicked in,
We felt hope in our hearts for our kith and our kin.
The people applauded, Ramaphoria returned.
Individuals donated huge sums they had earned.
A billion here and a billion there.
The announcement of help for the poor drew great cheers.
It finally felt like our land was united.
We would rally together till this virus was blighted.
The irony being we could not quite join hands.
A hip hip hooray and a God Bless this land,
We were washing and cleaning in obedient isolation.
As the workers stayed in, and police ran the nation.
And long lines of people stood waiting for rations.
Then reality hit in the form of starvation,
A feeling of sadness replaced our initial elation,
Patriotism turned to fear and tribulation.
Now with open hands and tightly closed doors,
“ Let’s take time to reflect on the primary cause
Of this heartache and hunger.
Let us be still and PAUSE.
Weigh economics against health,
Show some grace, share your wealth.
But let’s not now forget accountability and reason,
Or let euphoria and blindness drown the science out with treason.
Use your voice to speak truth, make it known you’re not sleeping.
Get down on your knees and ask God for safekeeping.
I do not quite know how this story will end.
I am hopeful that through it we will start a new trend
Of goodwill and kindness, not corruption and blindness.
God Bless South Africa and Protect her People.
Cornwall View • Issue 3 2020 11