There’s no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world, but with vaccines now starting to roll out around the globe, the end – or at least the beginning of the end – to a life of lockdown feels like it might not be all that far off. Still, for many of us the thought of reading a poetry collection that explores the impact Coronavirus has had on our lives might feel a little uneasy. A little too close to home, perhaps. What makes GET LOST DIRTY COVID-19 work in spite of the uncomfortable subject matter is the voices behind it. Written by the mother and daughter team of Madalsa and Zuivere, there is both an incredible emotional honesty and a charming down-to-earth authenticity prevalent in the writing. This innocence and fragility makes the poems really appealing when so much of our news agenda is now concerned with scientific debates about the disease, or the heart breaking infection and fatality rates we see each day. Both writers contribute works that discuss the impact Coronavirus has had on them, their lives in Australia, and on society as a whole. The poems are organized into nine chapters, each along a theme related to the pandemic (COVID-19, social distancing, solitude, fear, abuse, pain, prayer, gratitude and hope). Each poem within these chapters is short, with none covering more than a page. They’re also incredibly accessible and easy to read, making this a great book for a young reader, or anyone who is new to poetry.

The main thing that stands out about GET LOST DIRTY COVID-19 is the quality and power of Madalsa’s writing. It’s hard to believe that the youngster is just “a grade eight student of Matthew Flinders College in Geelong”. She displays a creativity and understanding way beyond her years and it’s hard not to be impressed by her vision. Zuivere, a university lecturer with a PhD in Communication and Journalism, no doubt helped to guide her daughter, but it’s mighty impressive nonetheless and, more often than not, Madalsa’s work outshines that of her mother.

One small gripe with this body of work is that it can, at times, feel a little repetitive, both in terms of content and with regards to the structures and language used within the poems themselves. In part, this is down to the subject material and, of course, the age and relative inexperience of Madalsa. That shouldn’t put anyone off picking this up though. It’s a short collection that can be easily consumed in an evening, or dipped in and out of without losing any sort of thread, and it often packs a real emotional punch. It is, above all else, a chance to view the Coronavirus pandemic through the eyes of two people who might be quite different to you, and just that fact in itself makes this collection hugely worthwhile.

The simple poems contained within GET LOST DIRTY COVID-19 from mother and daughter writing team Madalsa and Zuivere are engaging, emotive and will be enormously relevant to a wide range of readers, making this a deeply enjoyable and apt collection.

~Joseph Sharratt for IndieReader