World Upside Down

The Covid-19 pandemic was unexpected and has resulted in some profound changes in our lives. This poem attempts to describe the unanticipated element of the pandemic and capture some of the resultant changes in our societies and in ourselves. An east wind is a wind that originates in the east and has been used in Greek mythology, native American culture and the Old Testament, often associated with destruction and change. The pandemic is depicted as an east wind, unearthing many important questions and opposing views on medico-socio-political issues. Dilemmas on the role of science in the face of emerging evidence, and on how it interacts with politics and the consequences for the economy, the ethics of prioritising medical interventions, the impact on health inequalities. The pandemic generated a range of emotional reactions, including denial, fear, sadness and anger but also acceptance, gratitude, bravery and selfishness. At a time when the earth has entered the quietest period of manmade seismic noise recorded in history, dubbed the “anthropause”, there has been a fast race to understand the data, discover new treatments and develop vaccines in record times to save millions of people across all continents. No matter how strict lockdowns can be, the pandemic has demonstrated that we live in an interconnected world and we are highly dependent on each other and on the health of our planet.

Dr Victoria Tzortziou Brown