In this self-published book, Indian Australian mother-daughter duo Zuivere and Madalsa Mamgain explore the first wave of the pandemic in Australia in their collection of poems Get Lost Dirty COVID 19! Organized around nine themes (COVID-19, social distancing, solitude, fear, abuse, pain, prayer, gratitude and hope), the collection chronicles the family’s struggle with the pandemic’s consequences. The poems contrast the openness of the natural world with the restrictions of lockdown, capturing the claustrophobic experience of social distancing. They depict the coronavirus as a wall separating loved ones, while also likening the pandemic to traveling in a boat in the middle of the ocean, with no horizon in sight. Mother Zuivere, an academic, grapples with her age and mortality as her friends die around her, while Madalsa, an eight-grade student, mourns the loss of her innocence, as “a piece of my child heart is dying every day” (57). Themes of domestic violence and abuse part of the collection, highlighting the reality of quarantine for women trapped in violent households. However, the Mamgains conclude their collection with a renewed appreciation for mundanity and their loved ones.
Citation: Mamgain, Madalsa, Zuivere Mamgain. Get Lost Dirty Covid 19! Tellwell Talent (self-published), 12 November 2020. POETRY, CONFESSIONAL, 15 JULY 2020 | AUSTRALIA. am/jb/ig
Source Type: Poetry
Country: Australia
Date: 15-Jul-2020
Keywords: Australia, Abuse, Collaborative Poetry, Family, Isolation, Pandemic Poetry, Resilience, and Second Wave