Get the Hang of It

 

 

 

With whom do you hang out?

Certainly not with me!

In this this COVID pandemic

I am trusting nobody.

 

The truth of the matter is,

I do not get the hang of it

And I would also risk to say

It has everybody tricked.

 

So please, no disrespect meant,

But do not hang around here,

Around me is a COVID free zone

Please do not appear!

 

Vaccinated or unvaccinated

Find somewhere else to hang out

COVID is no respecter of persons

And of this I have no doubt.

 

  

 

My advice to you, though,

Would be, “Man, try and hang in there,”

And to all of the protocols

Please continue to adhere.

 

Hang tough, my sister,

Steel yourself for the long haul,

I notice some of the vaccinated too

Are also beginning to fall.

 

You may accuse me of hang-ups

But you have hang-ups too,

I have been watching your behavior

And the things you don’t do.

 

You’ve stopped the partying

You are wearing your mask too,

And especially I have noticed

You never breach a curfew.

 

In conclusion I would advise

That we all determine to hang on,

This COVID pandemic is not forever

At some point it will be gone.

 

As everything else, good or bad,

This too shall pass,

Don’t hang up your boots my friend,

COVID will not last.

 

Protect yourself and each other

Do what you have to do,

And hang in there with King Jesus

And he will bring you through.

 

 

I trust you got the hang of it,

No hanging out but hang on

Hang up your hang-ups if you can

And hang in till COVID’s gone.

 

Stewart Russell © November 16, 2021

 

Surreal

Is it happening to you?

Well, it’s happening to me,

Stay with me a while

And what I mean, you will see.

Life has become a dream

Well, more like a nightmare,

It is likely to get worse

And this is what I fear.

If back in October 2019

Someone had predicted this,

I would have accused that person

Of being a societal risk.

But now it is a reality

Though not a desirable deal,

Whether dream or nightmare,

It is in fact surreal.

Surreal is not a dream

But something that is real,

Just like all we are experiencing;

This is the real deal.

Tell me the number of times

That you have pinched yourself,

Even at times wondering,

Am I in the best of health?

It is indeed surreal

The times we are living in

And we wonder incessantly

What the next day will bring.

It has not been like this

For more than a hundred years

And even on that occasion

It was not a global affair.

  

Back then it was localized

Nothing like the present,

In this, the twenty-first century

Is an unprecedented event.

Scarcely a country is untouched

Neither the little nor great

And in fact, the bigger countries

Appear in a sorrier state.

Take the US of A for example

With what they are going through,

I thought they would lead the way

But they don’t have a clue.

And the UK as well

Their numbers are in the air

And in many cases like the US

Some still don’t seem to care.

The Caribbean is doing well

Compared to the wider world,

Contact tracing is working for us

While in the US it never occurred.

Some considered it a waste of time

But by then maybe it was,

Too many were then infected

And vaccine became the buzz.

There is something strange,

I can’t put my finger on it

But I am going to leave it at surreal

And with that I will quit.

Yea, but this is really surreal

A dream, no, more like a nightmare,

And I tell you, paranoid or not,

Some people are very scared.

Surreal is so real

Not a dream or nightmare but surreal.

Stewart Russell © May 2020

A Shout-out and A Caution

A shout-out to the front line workers

Whoever they are

They have been marvelous

Both near and far

Someone may say

But it is their duty

It is for that they are paid

But the truth be told

They have gone beyond duty

In many, many ways

The doctors and nurses

The firemen and police

The National Assistance Board

Whose work does not cease

The sanitation workers

And the Ministry of Health

That fight COVID-19

Amidst the danger to self.

There are several others

Whose names I could call

The B.D.F. and nursing homes

And that is not all

Like the Czar and the C.M.O.

And their attentive teams

Without these supports

It could have been a different scene

That Barbados has done well

There is surely no doubt,

Assist these front line workers

And reckless behaviours

Please cut out!

We cannot afford

To lose the ground we have made

For the loss of one life

There is no sum that can be paid

We have lost seven

And their families are sad

No more please,

Don’t make it a fad

A few countries had cases

Without any deaths

Like Reunion and Vietnam

I won't name the rest

 

Cambodia, for example,

Has an interesting statistic

What they are doing is working

That's my verdict

Of one hundred twenty-two cases

All but one has recovered

They must be doing something

From which the world can prosper

Please, Barbadians,

Please listen up!

The COVID-19 pandemic

Is a bitter cup

It is not easy to swallow

I am sure you agree

So, let’s help the front line workers

To ensure our safety

A word to the youth

That are strong and healthy

Please don’t be reckless

You could infect your family

It may not kill you

But think of gramps and granny

That have a greater challenge

Coping with this COVID misery.

    

Stay safe and be blessed

Use this time for reflection and rest

Our front line workers are surely the best

A shout-out to all of them

During this COVID test

Stewart Russell © May 2020