Yesterday On Good Friday (10april 2020)during The Lock-Down In South Africa Poem by Gert Strydom

1
What a situation it was at Checkers in the Springs Mall
when our own Pick a Pay was closed on a holiday,
while we had to get food and other necessities,
as the lock-down had been lengthened by another two weeks,
2
where you, mother, were walking with your walking stick in the shop,
continually did come and stand far too near to other people
and repeatedly I told you, mother, that it is deadly,
that no one knows who could be carrying this Corona virus.
3
That where you are very deaf, mother, I had to talk very loudly,
where you, mother, treated any black person that were shopping
as some one that were working in that shop,
asked such people where the things were, for which we were searching.
4
Where you, mother, did not want to hear about the distance thing,
where I did become more serious and did talk louder with you
and then out of the blue there is police intimidation,
with a policeman with a mask on making a beeline for me,
5
who do not only admonish me and read me the Riot Act,
but threaten to take me out of the shop with violence,
touching the pistol on his hip again and again
and stood so close to me that I could smell his breath.

6
He did not care to infect me with something deadly,
where this virus is in the air in part of its existence
and I do not know with whom or what this policeman
in his work have to deal with,
7
where he twenty times tell me that he will teach me
how to talk to you, mother, and also every time
that he as a policeman with violence will take me out
of the shop, will take me out and will take me out.
8
Such unheard rage that just wants to burst out
in mere violence is for me with civilised people unknown,
especially where to be a white-policeman
is used as a weapon against a innocent person
9
and like a long-play-record that jams he repeated the same thing
over and over to me as if I have got no ears,
on which I cautioned him that my brother is a barrister and a judge
and I asked him to point out to me what laws I had broken?
10
On this he still owes me and will forever owe an answer.
© Gert Strydom