LOCKDOWN
Jamali Bowden
This collection follows some of the threads of the author’s thoughts throughout the lockdowns from 2020 to now.
ConquistaDr
Dispose of difference,
unless collecting tokens
for the Empire’s coffers.
The whitewashed coffins.
Don’t acknowledge,
impose self as standard,
construct self on market-demand.
Exceptions buried in sand.
If my idea of health is to make you like myself
I’m no better than
the conquistador
the naval officer
the planter
of the flag in the name of King and God.
Lessons Leant in Lockdown 2
The joy of honest disagreement with someone you love
The value of honest sympathy over performative empathy
The superiority (or at least equal value) of smooth peanut butter
Depression food
The vastness of possible human relationships
The vastness of possible uses of a microwave
Manic baking
The distinct cruelty of healthcare bureaucracy
How to screen print
The narcissistic ableism of wellness culture
The need for rest
The need to remind others of the need for rest
The human capacity to consume oreos is more than one might think
How to get the best possible vegan pizza to dollar ratio when ordering Domino’s online
The toxicity of white femininity
Tremors is an amazing movie
How I might honestly be myself
Poetry in the Academy
made priceless and useless
by towers of glass
who teaches words writes words have value
language tools of power, warfare through symbol
unreachable for most people
unreadable excuse to indulge
words you hold in your heart hang in no hall of honour
only our heroes have inherent what all others must earn
STOP.
Forever stealing credit
Blood and those who bled it
Leave the planet shredded
Stop.
Ground for us is readied
Every trend has bled us
Written words not read us
Currency, they spend us
Stop!
They infiltrate our chorus
Stealing culture from the poorest
While the savage boars gore us
This “appreciation” is discordant
STOP.
Cannibalise the children
Havoc on earth and women
All just taking, never giving
This is not good living!
STOP!
A Lockdown Typolology
The surprise lockdown
The lonely lockdown
The despair lockdown
The move in lockdown
The puzzle lockdown
The film buff lockdown
The foodie lockdown
The mutual aid lockdown
The crafty lockdown
The calypso lockdown
The pirate lockdown
The cowboy lockdown
The reading lockdown
The horny lockdown
The passive-aggressive lockdown
The self-discovery lockdown
The Queer lockdown
The honest lockdown
The Black Power lockdown
The anime lockdown
The move out lockdown
What else is there left to do in lockdown?
My name is Jamali Bowden (he/him) I am a third-year creative writing student at Latrobe. My practice is largely based in poetry but over the course of my degree I have written in a variety of forms including short story and creative non-fiction. My practice often explores the musicality of words and their structures. I have a fascination with widely held feelings of isolation, climate change and their origins and how they may be alleviated. Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic my practice has become much more focused on curation of my existing works and a more rigorous process of editing. Following this festival, I am looking to gain more experience as an editor.
Follow Me on IG @jamali_brand_content