Poetry - March 2020

Staying Safe

I've always washed my hands well enough
And I am really OCD about being clean
It transpires that everyone now has to do this
With the coronavirus coming on to the scene
I imposed a couple of days of working from home
When I had a bad cold the other week
I knew it wasn't anything more than that
But didn't want to cause trouble and for people to freak
I also know that basic hygeine is common sense
And making sure I do what I normally do
Eating well and getting plenty of balance in the diet
And that will mean my immune system is good too
It's not a nice thing going around I admit
But I'm doing what I can to be safe you see
You never know who may be in contact with you
So the more you can do is all good for me.

(I think when you're travelling on trains and tube a lot, you do hope no one is a carrier, but it's amazing how many people are now washing their hands as they always should have done anyway...)

Taproom Delight

Visiting any brewery these days
Seems to have their own tap room attached
In a small industrial unit it will be
And there's a real sense of a cosy place
As those who visit there fancy the beer
But also enjoy the atmosphere inside
A chance to relax and catch up with friends
Having the beer poured literally from where it was made
It's a really lovely experience too
As you can often try out new things
And get an enjoyable taste to drink in
But also to take away should you fancy it
It's nice to see so many small breweries
Concentrate on keeping it local for everyone
And there's a real sense of it being a good place to go
With the feeling of enjoying quality local produce.

(I must admit, recent visits to the tap rooms such as Belleville and Gipsy Hill really have shown just how much a good tap room helps them sell their beers too.)

Sleeping In Silence

I've not been able to sleep so well
With all the noise going on outside on occasion
But also sometimes my own noise
Means that I just can't handle the situation
I have to try and watch more telly
In order to try and tire myself out
And do whatever I can to make my body want to shut down
So I can then be out for the count
But when I do try to get some sleep
My body just doesn't want to know
It wants to make some noise and feel so painful
And when you have a cold it seems to show
I tried the window blind being shut to be in the dark
I tried to make sure that I didn't drink much coffee
But in the end I just couldn't settle down
And ended up all tired and irritable, did me.

(Having a cold where I was all bunged up wasn't helping me to sleep, and it just felt like a constant noise around me which just felt like it was a constant source of interference. Not good.)

The Long Way Home

When the train is cancelled and isn't running
And you've got to get to another station
Everyone else is doing the same thing
Adding more time spent to the situation
It's only when you realise what has happened
That there's a power failure for the cable
That you realise it won't be a quick fix
And work out another route to be on the table
So it's down and out of this station
And a good sized walk along to another one
Where you know you'll be able to get a train
And you know that so far at least they will run
It's going to be a packed train when you get on
And it's standing room only all the way home
But at least the long way round worked tonight
Even though it feels like forever that you roam.

(So often in the last few weeks I've had to change travel plans for getting home from work for various reasons - and thankfully I do at least have two or three backup plans to take should I need to. It has meant getting home much later though which isn't really so good..)

Year 3 Haiku

Pictures of your school
Up in the Tate Britain now
See who you can see!

(There's over 3,000 pictures for the Year 3 exhibition in the Tate Britain - all laid out wonderfully well. I'm sure those who took part will have half the fun looking for themselves as well as recognising other friends from other schools too. An inspirational piece.)