Thoughts & Memories -Coronavirus.

China it seemed could not cope, In Wuhan they were losing hope; So lockdown it was and very severe, You couldn’t even buy a beer.

But here our life had not yet changed, Our classes and meetings were still arranged. The trip to Bath was taking shape, Rehearsals and costumes – we mustn’t be late !

Things got worse and Covid grew, To Italy , Spain and Timbuktu; Travel was stopped and hence our show, We couldn’t go – oh, what a blow!!!

Then in March , lockdown was here; No walks, no booze, oh dear, oh dear; Cyril told us we had to stay, In our homes and not go away

The streets were silent,  no-one in sight, Only the birds , once it was light; So strange it seemed , we wanted to talk, To family and friends, take the dog for a walk.

We stopped our classes , oh how sad; No gym, no fun , it was getting bad. The teachers who had tech-knowhow, Took to you-tube, it was such a wow.

Now it seemed so very clear, All we had ever held dear; We could now only see on a screen, Life would never be as it had been

We cleaned , we sewed ,we mowed the lawn, We sorted cupboards, discarding clothes too worn; We watched TV and read some books, Kept ourselves fit and improved as cooks.

We chatted to friends on Whatsapp and Zoom, Funny not having them in the room; The days passed by and soon it became, Our lifestyle , sunshine or rain.

But elsewhere in our lovely city, Life was becoming one of pity; No jobs, no work, no food , no pay; And getting worse day by day

The NGO’s all reached out, To all of those with any clout; Parcels of food, groceries and money; Sandwiches with peanut butter and honey

We all had to give to those in need, But there were so many mouths to feed; We could not last in such a state, Open the economy before it’s too late.

So we moved to level four, People could do just a little more; We could walk in the morning , what a joy; Buy takeaways , clothes and maybe a toy

But no booze or cigarettes , oh dear; That could cause chaos , we do fear; The number of cases continued to rise, I don’t think that’s  much of a surprise

We are now in the middle of May; I really don’t know what to say; Things are getting worse I fear, I would just love to get out of here

But to keep safe  we must just stay; In lockdown , it goes on from day to day; The rest of the country must go and earn, The schools must go back so students can learn

The scientists are working every day, To find a vaccine , there must be a way; Till then we will just stay home, Its comfortable here, we cannot moan

It has now been 3 months and more, We’re  into winter, it’s cold for sure; The numbers are growing, it’s very scary, We  must remain  careful and wary

The laws have changed and confusion reigns, Some of the rules are quite insane; So mostly everyone just  does their thing,  Wear a mask , do social distancing

We  can now  play tennis and go to a show, But no gym or dancing , that’s a blow; We all make a plan and exercise outside, Fresh air is the way to blow the virus aside

So maybe next year , please can it be, We will see our friends and family; We will travel ,drive or sit by the sea, To talk , to laugh and just be free.

(Alison Lund)