Video of a door being sealed as part of quaratine in China.‘The Good of You’ by Damian Robin The Society February 3, 2021 Covid-19, Culture, Human Rights in China, Poetry 8 Comments . How good of you to do your best __for our great population. So we’ll do right by your request __to heal our ailing nation. If we feel sick we’ll stay indoors, __won’t shout—just put a sock in. With metal plates you’ll screw our doors __to help our healthy lock-in While you seek data, make it count, __do marvels with big numbers And always catch the right amount— __exactly—they’re not blunders. Our admiration fills our lungs As fast as you lock down our tongues. . . . Damian Robin is a writer and editor living in the United Kingdom. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Trending now: 8 Responses James Sale February 4, 2021 Very skilful writing, Damian, by rhyming the first and third line as well as the usual second and fourth in a ballad; nice, too, the couplet conclusion that gives the form a sonnet feel, though using tetrameters and trimeters. It made me laugh as well, so thanks! Reply Damian Robin February 4, 2021 Thanks James. Good to get a nice tech gloss from an accomplished and knowledgable critic. Reply Damian Robin February 8, 2021 Glad you found it funny. Satire comes naturally to me though it’s often uncomfortable as the reader has to know the twisted view of the writer to get it. i.e. it’s not straight forward, not ‘honest’. Reply Damian Robin February 8, 2021 There are a lot of deviant sonnet forms now-a-days. They keep to the 14 lines as the crux. Though, as you know, the little song in verse has had many forms, some quite long, before becoming standardised and limited to the Italian and English versions most given the name ‘sonnet’ now. The ghost of a sonnet here is intentional. Reply Ben Grinberg February 6, 2021 WYes skillful. Reply Damian Robin February 6, 2021 Thanks, Ben. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 7, 2021 Damian, it’s great to see you’re still fighting the good fight with well crafted poetry and a zest for justice. You are always an inspiration! Thank you! Reply Damian Robin February 7, 2021 Thanks for your kind words, Susan. And keep up your varied, skillful, forthright, and engaging pieces. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
James Sale February 4, 2021 Very skilful writing, Damian, by rhyming the first and third line as well as the usual second and fourth in a ballad; nice, too, the couplet conclusion that gives the form a sonnet feel, though using tetrameters and trimeters. It made me laugh as well, so thanks! Reply
Damian Robin February 4, 2021 Thanks James. Good to get a nice tech gloss from an accomplished and knowledgable critic. Reply
Damian Robin February 8, 2021 Glad you found it funny. Satire comes naturally to me though it’s often uncomfortable as the reader has to know the twisted view of the writer to get it. i.e. it’s not straight forward, not ‘honest’. Reply
Damian Robin February 8, 2021 There are a lot of deviant sonnet forms now-a-days. They keep to the 14 lines as the crux. Though, as you know, the little song in verse has had many forms, some quite long, before becoming standardised and limited to the Italian and English versions most given the name ‘sonnet’ now. The ghost of a sonnet here is intentional. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 7, 2021 Damian, it’s great to see you’re still fighting the good fight with well crafted poetry and a zest for justice. You are always an inspiration! Thank you! Reply
Damian Robin February 7, 2021 Thanks for your kind words, Susan. And keep up your varied, skillful, forthright, and engaging pieces. Reply
