The Age of Coronavirus
07/09/20
By Big Mama
I'm making a list
to see who's been naughty or nice and
if I wake up tomorrow
I'm on the winning side
of LIFE.
Throwing money at Corona
is slinging a knife at a gun fight.
What you aimin at?
Who you shootin at?
This gun is a hidden fragrance
It will engulf you
You hit, they miss, you get this?
The key to the streets
is
3 feet
6 feet
social distance.
The key to the house is
leavin the house
Gotta get outside
Can't call 9-1-1
Cuz you might get arrested for a domestic
But you're under quarantine,
your house has you under arrest,
so why not take this time
to honor your breasts.
I'm here to represent.
Things will never be the same,
things will never be normal.
Things have to move into their new age.
There's a new Sheriff in town,
this is the Age of Corona.
It's time to build up your immunity.
It's time to build up your community.
There's power in numbers.
I get the message:
Glove and mask, it's not such a hard task.
I got it.
See the handwriting on the wall.
We gotta protect ourselves, how
can the president protect us too?
The national guard, they came to our hood,
but all they had to give was guns to aim
and walks to round.
President Trump, he can write checks
till he pass out.
But some of us still don't get a cent.
I know a veteran and his wife, retired,
it was on the news,
they didn't get a check,
neither one.
Fathers owing child support, where's your stim?
Maybe you can pick it up at the airport.
United we stand, divided
we fall.
Stop being the Fearful,
For God hasn't given us the spirit of fear,
but of power, love, and a sound mind.
Grab all your tissue
I don't have any issue.
It's the Age of Corona.
Big Mama writes about her personal background and present circumstances. In doing so, she voices the celebrations and struggles of people who have experienced homelessness, domestic abuse and long-term poverty. Big Mama is an artist and poet. This is her first published piece and this is just the beginning. © Big Mama, Chicago, 2020.
Big Mama is an active member of Red Line Service. Led by people with a lived experience of homelessness, Red Line Service wields art world resources to build community, generating the sense of belonging and mutual care essential to securing and retaining housing. We collaborate with artists and cultural institutions to expand access to the art world avowing that art can break the bounds of ingrained social roles and structures and forge new realities in which all can flourish.
Contact Red Line Service via email: admin@redlineservice.org