Poem 4, 'Little Coughin's' from spoken work artist Wendy Young articulates the voice of working disabled people during Lock Down - and other wordy wonders. Hear here.
Note the video is designed as a 360 degree installation. Place your cursor on the screen to see what happens. Watch here.
Little Coughin’s
It is coming …
They say they’re going round people’s houses in China – taking their temperature
if it’s high – locking them in – eh? Well – it won’t happen here!
People in PP Arnold gear – hoods - masks – visors -
Imagine (all the people) – a MASSIVE lock in – not the same connotation at shutting time down the pub
At work me manager says ‘Here Wend’ and proceeds to hand out USB contraptions for our Smartcards
‘What’s this?’ – ‘We may have to work from home – very soon’
‘Really? It’ll never happen here!’
Me the doubter – Doubting Thomasina – my friend’s even made his own visor out of a water bottle – it’s very good but I said ‘Hey no! You’ll not need it’
Denier!
A top Neuro-bod at work tells me ‘They should just lock everything down for six weeks’ - ‘Ha ha!’ I trail down the stairwell behind him but he’s been on the tele and everything – knows his onions – well - his neurologicals
Well next day I get a call ‘DO NOT COME INTO WORK’ THE VOICE OF BIG BROTHER
And it’s here!
Zoom Zoom – I mean – you know - that was a lolly or going to the moon – now I’m talking to poets all round the world – and Swindon
And we’ve got these testing kits – with plastic bits – and these little coffins – about three and a half inches by about just under an inch
With one of those funny black squiggly boxes on that I never really got quite used to – to scan
And we’re testing every day to see if we’ve got the COVID but anyway I’m quite enjoying it – after all no worries about getting home alone – tube rides or filthy bus rides – noisy bus rides to work – the Lockdown is not such a lowdown to me – it’s here and I am free
No echoes of twats at work ‘Would you like a Teeeeeaaaa?’
No putting up with their crap – dominatrixes of the office – spinning around and dominating the whole bloody office
Crap coming out of every orifice
And why didn’t I ever say ‘SHUT THE FUCK UP’
I’ver learnt a lot in Lockdown – I shouldn’t have had to put up with that
And I’ll never have to get that bus again!
Germ spreading humans – gobshites on phones – never heard of ear buds or ear phones
And what do they talk about? They go on and on behind me on the bus and I can’t move because I’m stuck on this travelling coffin!
Coughing (ahem ahem ugh) …
Okay – so I’m having a glass of wine every night
Okay – I’m eating a lot of pancakes with a lot of eggs and I’m getting sensations in my liver and
Okay – next door the M.U.G.A – that’s Council speak for a basketball court is a nightmare because there’s music blaring and I can’t get any work done from home
And the Police won’t help me and the Council won’t help me so I go out
And I get out in time so I don’t have to be bothered with the stress of it
But you know what? It’s far better than ever seeing that bitch – that place
Where a three faced bitch who mocks me – who is sneaky – who just dogs my life
And at this age I’m still putting up with it
WELL HELL NO I’M NOT BECAUSE LOCKDOWN’S FREED ME
I AM FREE
Hey little coffins – I’ll stay here
It’s mad but I’m glad of Lockdown
Damn I lost a friend and a brother on the same day
No need to go to the funeral – save that upset and
I didn’t really know my brother
I miss Peter though …
Has it gone?
Up down up down – COVID figure’s more diverse than Monroe’s hourglass
Given by Professor Whitty – by name not by nature – very serious and sad
But he’s hopeful combined with doubt – flouting Boris ‘wah blah yah’
Van Tam’s cute and cuddly but sadly his job’s to be cautious
Oh well – we can now go to shops and pubs – substantives at work
Falling down the corner – a wind blows – change
Deranged I say ‘No I won’t back - I won’t go back’
Bells of the 84/85 Strike we’re not going back we won’t go back …
Sus laws shush laws - it’s still two metres – it’s still masks
A meal out is out and that’s not much fun
Oh Halle Orchestra – call me a scally
But I’m gonna stay in my house – with my Little Coughin’s (ahem)