In case you were in any doubt. A poem by Lynda Tavakoli

Look. It’s all going to be just fine.
It’s one person coming in from Chi-na –
we have it totally under control
and we think it’s going to have
a good ending for us, that I can assure you.
You know, a lot of people think
that it goes away with the heat.
Typically, that will go away in April
and the stock market is starting to look
very good to me. Very good.
We’re in great shape.

Listen. When you have fifteen people
and the fifteen within a couple of days
is going to be down to close to zero,
well, that’s a pretty good job we’ve done
and we’re still substantially down not up.
This virus. This Chi-na virus, it’s going to disappear.
One day – it’s like a miracle – it will disappear.
No, I’m not concerned at all and we’re prepared.
Just stay calm and it will go away.
We’re doing a great job with it.

*

So, this is a pandemic. I felt it was a pandemic
long before it was called a pandemic.
This is unchartered territory, as you know.
But it could have been stopped.
It could have been stopped pretty easily
if everybody had known about it
months before people read about it.
I’m glad that this team, and me,
are here for this horrible thing.

But you reporters – you ought to get back
to reporting instead of sensationalism
and asking nasty questions like,
‘What do you say to Americans who are scared?’
I’d say you’re a terrible reporter asking me that.
It’s a very nasty question for it’s going
to be a good ending for us. A good ending.
That, I can assure you.

……….

Lynda Tavakoli is a writer and poet from Northern Ireland. Her poems have been widely published in the UK, Ireland, the Middle East and the US.

‘Found’ poem II (taken from ‘Donald Trump quotes’ Internet)