The poem” Your hands are dirty” is an initiative of Together for a new Africa participants in Uganda, to help people to take the Covid_19 pandemic more seriously and encourage them to follow instructions given by health practitioners such as washing hands and staying at home which might seem banal but more than important in curbing the spread of the disease.
Your Hands Are Dirty!
Yes, they are.
Look at them, do not stir!
Wash them, your hands are dirty!
Do not lift them to your nose for smell.
Please do not touch your mouth, do not fall for the spell.
And not the eyes, for in your hands the virus still dwells!
Wash them, your hands are dirty!
Locked down at home?
You even haven’t touched a comb,
But still, make that foam,
And wash those dirty hands lest you’re put under the loam!
Keep in mind that you are not stuck at home,
You are safe at home.
Wash them, your hands are dirty!
You do not have what to eat,
And you’re worried sick!
The heat of hunger is your daily treat,
You still cannot hunt for food on the street,
But you have a choice to make Covid retreat,
Wash them, your hands are dirty!
And you aren’t sure about your job,
For your last hope Covid did rob,
Please do not sob,
You have a choice to make Covid’s weak heart throb,
Wash them, your hands are dirty!
Will this situation change?
It is complicated and strange,
Hope still shines, your worried thoughts, please do re-arrange,
It is as simple as daily garlic, lemon, or orange,
And before you eat, please,
Wash them, your hands are dirty!
If you have that hope in your heart,
You can have a fantastic start,
So smile your way through this Covid life,
So that you do not have to strive,
Wash them, your hands are dirty!
Be thankful for the extra quality time with your loved ones,
Learn a new skill and remember, this too shall pass.
Take pride, Africa, in our medical practition,
In these Covid times, no politician is flown out for medication,
So congratulations to our education,
And if we shun corruption,
We could curb Covid out of our population.
Wash them, your hands are dirty!
Together, we will get through this,
Child, Mr, or Miss,
We shall recover World Peace,
Be it twenty or thirty,
I will do my part and go,
Wash them, for my hands are dirty!
By Aisha Namusosa
