Pandemic and Cautionary Poems

Dear Reader 

The past week has been difficult, especially concerning health and patience. Many people whom I know personally were tested positive for COVID-19. Fortunately, most of them are recovering their health. But some are gone forever. May they be blessed with Peace🙏  

     People in general and Indians in particular (with all due respect to ourselves) are especially good at giving advice and not acting on it, which is a personal premise I have arrived at.  It is as incredible as it is heartening to see a plethora of advice to prevent and cure COVID-19 infections--from Home remedies to Ayurveda and Yoga😁 But when it comes to regimentation concerning health(that is requisite and imperative) boy, don't we assert the freedom of Soul!! Blaming it on what now seems 'unruly' past ways of life or our inability to comprehend the importance of regimentation is a questionable preventive measure. It is most possible that we don't yet understand our role in this pandemic. As individuals, we are responsible for the welfare of the community. It is surprisingly strange that we are yet to realise the direct relationship between the individual and the community in terms of health, especially, physical health!

     Light-heartedness apart (which is one way to cope with the present grim situation), this is the time for caution. The more conscientious we become as individuals, the more likely the community, society, nation and the globe will remain safe and healthy. 

  Do you remember the now nursery rhyme-ring-a-ring-a roses and when it became popular? Dear reader, this rhyme is said to be a cautionary rhyme sung during the great plague of 1665 in Great Britain. It is believed to be one of the worst pandemics faced by people anywhere. The rhyme is a macabre parody of the horrors of the great plague. One of the main symptoms of the plague is the rose-coloured spots and the protection against it, in popular belief, is supposed to be a posy of herbs and the last line 'we all fall down' is descriptive of the death due to plague. However, there are disputes about the meaning of the rhyme--about the sneeze, the description of the symptoms, the date of appearance of the rhyme and the Great Plague etc. The fact is a pandemic at all times is a traumatic experience and possibly, this nonsense limerick came to be associated with plague. Even if this is true, it just goes to show how hard the people were hit by the plague and the dark experiences it created by leaving behind fear and anxiety in the minds of the people. 

   I would like to share one Poem on COVID, published in the daily The Hindu (May 2020).   

 Coronavirus, the worst disease,

Hide in your homes, if you please.

A disease killing lives

And spreading negative vibes,

Symptoms like fever make us weak, 

Doctor's help, we need to seek. 

Started in China, and now, the world is sick, 

Let us unite and find a cure, quick. 

YOu will have a fever as I told you,

you will get a headache and a cold,

Following up then comes cough,

Getting rid is now quite tough.

You will get problems with respiration,

Now, we all need prevention. 

Muscle pain can come too.

Let us build immunity, me and you,

Wash your hands with some soap

We'll fight the virus, that's the hope.

Sneeze and cough into a tissue,

Don't go to crowded places,

Don't be one of those thousand cases,

Visit a doctor if you need care,

Now Just make others all aware. 

                   Pankhuri Saxena, 9 Years, Bal Bharati Public School

https://www.thehindu.com/children/poem-on-coronavirus-scare-way-the-pandemic/article31549223.ece

Dear Reader, do take care to be safe, healthy and wise. One way of dealing with this situation may be to become aware of your role in maintaining the well-being of the community or to accept the dictum 'If I am safe, then, all will be safe' and take care of oneself. Either way, self-help is the best help I suppose.  

Dear Reader, if you have a poem or folk song to share,  please do share👇 If you are happy to read this blog, do hit the follow button 👉 and if you would want to, do share this blog with your friends and like-minded readers.

     Please share your comments at rekhadata02@g mail.com or message me @rekhadatta1 on Instagram. I shall send the links to you personally. Thank you for your patience.