This is a poem that tells the endurance of those persons in different professions and occupations that to me are at the frontline against the coronavirus pandemic here in Uganda but also elsewhere.
LIFE AT THE FRONTLINE
Eyes closed
Tears blocked
Am I less human than others?
My mind staggers
And in that moment
They bid me farewell
How it goes so fast…
How we want it to last…
Love is powerful
And today will be colourful.
Clad in my overall
My shoulders brave the sacks
Like a slave under their master’s watch
I know I must feed the nation
I strive to add a count each day
One family will count yet another day.
Marching along the streets
Our uniforms make a pattern
White, blue, brown and army green
“Keep the nation alive”
Yes Sir – I salute
The best orders I’ll ever receive
The stickers, the crowds
The curfew, the patrols
One life will see yet another day.
Assembling my gadgets
I miss not any detail
So terrifying…
Reporting the positives
But also thrilling…
Reporting the negatives
Interviews and statistics
Agony or relief –
I am the go-between
The nation must know on the news.
The air-conditioning is on
Yet I must take off my jacket
I’ve never been this busy
Monitoring the network
Balancing the accounts
Information must spread
Money and resources shared
One family will wear a smile
And hang on for two or a day.
The door slams beside me
How are you and the boys?
I ask my chauffeur…
Phew! Thank God!
The policy is working
Let’s proceed to the press conference
Stay indoors, stay safe
Please keep the directives
Hope brings life to yet another day.
Hearing the siren
I push out the bed
The doctor rushes to the room
Samples taken to the Lab
I deliver the prescriptions
Doctor affirms the improvement
Few are actually discharged
And many are awaiting.
Sulking in the sofa
The day’s been long and weary
Then the headline Tonight
“COVID-19 CURVE FLATTENING”
My heart skips a bit
I know I have done my part
And God will do the rest.
Turning in my bed
It’s another nightmare…
Then does it say to me
“You’re your country’s hero –
You’re building the nation! “
And finally going to sleep
I swear to myself –
FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY!
©Atwine Mugisha
So, that was me, let me hear from you too…