19 December 2020
Posted on behalf of Prof Derrick Moot
An ode to 2020, a year that delivered plenty, after Wuhan gave birth to a brand new disease
Add famine, conquest and war, we’ve done this all before, there are four horseman to appease
The apocalypse began, with no collective plan, and no international will for co-ordination
So hollow leaders left and right, slow to detect our plight, spewed hopeful misinformation
Italy started the cry, their elderly first to die, a clear lesson for the rest of Europe to learn
Mostly they did ignore, just another Italian flaw, until full hospital beds caused major concern
Spain second in line, borders closed but not in time, coronavirus virus had successfully spread
It was all too late, our predetermined fate, by the quality of politicians each nation was lead
So how did they do, the self-promoting few, power and influence drive their ambition
Let’s start in the US, I know bless bless, Donald a narcissist not known for contrition
He shut the border, an executive order, keep out you nasty manufactured Chinese disease
I mustn’t punch down, too easy, he’s a clown, but bleach his weapon of choice – oh please!
The horror show, said Antony Cuomo, is coming to you, just like us here in New York
Donald knew better, he’d read some letter, a miraculously disappearance was all the talk
Go on shine a light, his tool to fight, a contagious disease had soon killed several thousand
No need for a mask, to deal with this task, just listen to his stories that rival Munchausen
For those in the know, it was the Faucci show, most upset the orange man in the white house
Someone to trust, with the truth that you must, social distance – re-election hopes he did douse
So Donald is out, wow can he pout, along with 75 million new and loyal supporters
Will Black lives still matter? Or that bubble shatter, no longer main stream for woke reporters
In China the news, all choreographed views, command politics makes it difficult to parley
Was it quickly controlled? How? at what toll?, don’t question us or we won’t buy your barley
Aussies asked out loud, now not part of the crowd, doffing caps to state sanctioned importers
They are in trouble, so want us in their bubble, no thanks – outbreaks in your beach quarters
They started the year, under the world’s glare, as fires ravaged through Skippies dry bush
Not too worry, no need to hurry, back from a prime ministerial holiday ScoMo was pushed
Always slow to react, doesn’t need the facts, Morrison spouts fires were just acts of God
Still doesn’t believe, a need to relieve, the world of fossil fuel burning – an ignorant sod
He looks super bright, when you compare Aussies plight, with a Bojo in charge of the UK
Tory bluster and lies, we all learnt to despise, Cummings who went for a drive for the day
As an island nation, with Brexit for salvation, closing borders would seem to be easy
But making a decision, the thought of derision, made bumbling Boris all sick and queasy
Let’s follow the Swedes, relaxed social lead, herd immunity a plan for our country
How’s that going now, spiking deaths every hour, it has failed could we put it more bluntly?
So women reported, badly distorted, to prepare all you needed was a female as your leader
A German example, add NZ to the sample, we’ll make a story for you dear uninformed reader
Except, Germany is now closed, lockdown reimposed, Europe’s third surge is swelling
And here in NZ, we may be women led, but the science not empathy was most compelling
Numbers were clear, the health service did fear, ICU unable to cope with too many patients
An early shut down, students fled out of town, our only option swift action not complacence
For us right now it is gone, from afar we watch on, as others grapple with increasing adversity
Same problem to broach, each countries approach, characteristic of international diversity
The hard men of the right, tried to ignore the fight, enemy too small for the blinkered to see
Success in Vietnam and Taiwan, and protests in Hong Kong, made Chinese officials surly
Here in NZ, we have mostly been fed, fawning media reports of fan favourite Ardern
Re-elected with ease, the right on its knees, changed leaders who voters then spurned
Rural women went left, politically deft, to ensure that red could govern without green
Men went to the right, for Seymour to fight, socialist engineering now building up steam
At least when it was done, we knew who had won, on the night the election was over
No recounts to do, or Southern states to sue, Labour alone are now rolling in clover
The rest of us now, can get back to the how, to keep our primary economy growing
We produce meat, that people want to eat, our land unsuitable for protein crop sowing
With hills and the rain, and very little plain, sheep and cattle have brought in our income
In lockdown we worked, while others lurked, in their sheds, some found a new green thumb
Working from home, we were never alone, massaged managers egos through endless Zoom
We learnt how to mute, and the astute, turned off cameras – were we really in the room?
At lunchtime we looked, at Ashley who booked, a daily dose of reassurance to keep faith
But we now know, it was a false show, lied on queue he’s not a saint more a wraith
Kept a straight face, about track and trace, spread fake news undermined public opinion
Put your T –shirts away, he did just pray, on the gullible to enhance his Ministry’s dominion
Now we holiday, frolic and play, in our isolated islands free of camper vans and that virus
Lucky to be here in the South sea air, international travel at the moment not really desirous
But spare a thought, for those who have caught, and millions that died from a strip of RNA
A vaccine in record time, rather sublime, the co-operation of science has again shown the way
Derrick Moot
Interpreting the ode!
This year hopefully all rather obvious! NZ had an election and voted our Labour (left) party alone into power – the rest reflects pretty mainstream news…..
