COVID LANGUAGE
What ugly sounds they
seem to make,
Those words of the last
year.
'Pandemic', 'Lockdown',
'Test and Trace':
Not pretty words to hear.
We speak of 'furlough',
'PPE'
We rarely did before,
And now things must
be 'Covid-safe'
With gel and screens
and more.
A 'super-spreader's'
not someone
That you would choose
to meet:
You'd better 'social-
distance' if
He's unmasked' in
the street!
This new vocabulary
is like
A virus in itself -
Infecting all our constant
chat
About the global health.
A 'circuit-breaker' used
to be
Just electrician speak;
And Dido lived in ancient
times -
According to the Greeks.
A 'vaccine rollout's' now
the phrase
On everybody's lips -
Let's pray it will get
numbers down
And that there'll be no
blips.
Oh, bring back long-
gone happy days
When 'sage' meant
wise or herb,
When 'quarantining'
was for dogs -
And 'Covid' an unknown
word!
BY
DARRYL ASHTON