Since in lockdown, I have been writing ‘poems’ almost every day... quite an obsession for someone who had never attempted creative writing before. Here’s my latest:
‘Before the world changed’
Today a memory came up
On my Facebook feed
Pics from just two years ago
In a world so different
When together we went
For a theatre show
And a meal before
Some exotic fare
With flavours of Bali
But no fear of contamination
Intermingled there
We hugged on meeting
And at parting
Gave a peck
On both cheeks
No social distancing
No not touching the face
Played a part
As without fear
Our affection
We displayed
Before the world changed
Now we’re all
In homes apart
Keep safe
From a vicious virus
Oh how we long
For a time not long gone
When things were different
Though not perfect
A time when meeting
Fellow human beings
Was not forbidden
Hugging and kissing
We’re not verboten
Holding hands
Was entirely normal
And not quite so much
Of washing hands
And we could travel
Unrestricted
Take a flight
To distant lands
And not stay parted
From loved ones afar
Not knowing when
Together we’ll be
As now we desperately
Stay connected
On our smartphones
Our new appendages
Not quite the same
As being together
Still second best
In this weird world
Torn asunder
By the tiny
Coronavirus