When…………..
When hairdressers opening becomes headline news,
When booking online shopping slots makes you lose your fuse
When you count how many people are allowed in a shop
When you just want a hair crop
When seeing friends seems like a distant dream
When you want to have a laugh with your work team
When the news is always the same
When you think this must be a game
When free cancellation is banded about
When you think what the hell is this all about
When you try to look past the stories
When you demand answers from the Tories
When simple things become so desired
When you know people have really inspired
By Marie Skuce 2021
.........................................................................................................
The 6am alarm makes no sound
Birds singing, chirping, hopping about the ground
Instead we let the sun wake us
No need to start the car, or run for the bus
Now the weather decides our day
Wait, is it yesterday, tomorrow, today?
What should I do, paint or plant seeds?
Or should I get muddy and pull out those weeds?
In the sky not a plane in sight
I’ve never heard silence like this in my life
Husband upstairs, working so hard
Momo shouts, I create and focus on art
It’s raining now, so I’m stuck indoors
Ok, ok I’ll do those chores
Maybe after, a new series on Netflix
WhatsApp some friends for their top 10 list
2020 the summer of…. Furlough
Some days are happy, some of them low
We knock down fences and install a gate
For some company and sanity for our best mate
The sun shines on my face, giving a glow
As I watch in wonder as I see the veg grow
Since we’re allowed outside for a walk
Ill multitask, call my mum, a facetime talk
Winter came and another lockdown with it
Nearly a year, and still it doesn’t quite fit
The new year rolled in, change in our hearts
But again, we wake and Groundhog Day starts
Everyday someone loses a loved one
Days fill with sorrow, grief, and depression
I know it’s not cheery to share such a thought
But sometimes its needed and sometimes we ought
Have faith though all, 18 months they said
It’ll all be over soon, a new normal instead
Stay safe, wear a mask, we have the power
We can almost make plans; the future is ours...
By Leanne Stagg 2021
.........................................................................................................
As spring is sprung,
And new life is begun,
We reflect on the past year,
With all of its sadness and fear,
But there has also been love,
A global fighting spirit to be proud of,
A sense of community and togetherness,
And as a consequence, I must confess,
Although for many, the worst year of our lives,
Because of all of this, we will rise together and thrive.
By Katrina Wheadon 2021
.........................................................................................................
We were locked down
And you were locked in.
Then out of the night and into the light
On Valentine's day you came,
Loudly proclaiming your place in the world,
A perfect little rosebud unfurled.
Your journey begins here, in Bristol -
May you travel well
Our beautiful baby Isabel.
By Rupert Stuart-Baker 2021