How to Survive a Pandemic

27/06/2020 –  Poem a Day Compilation

It has come to my attention

That some people just don’t know

How to survive a pandemic

So here it is, blow by blow.

 

Stay inside your house.

It’s really very easy.

You avoid most of the germs in there

And don’t end up all queasy.

 

If you need to do the groceries

There are two ways to do this task.

Get it home delivered or,

When going out, wear a mask.

 

Wash your hands regularly

And sanitise everything you touch

It might seem overwhelming

But it’s really not that much.

 

Don’t hug or kiss or even high five

When friends you chance to meet.

Wave or bump your elbows,

Or simply tap feet to feet.

 

Don’t gather in large groups

Especially in small spaces;

Keep your distance from each other,

Maintain at least three paces.

 

Get your restaurant meals delivered

To help them through this mess

But don’t forget to wipe the packaging

It will help to spread it less.

 

If you can arrange it with your employer

Working from home’s a great idea,

With teleconferencing taking off

Just remember to hide the beer.

 

It may seem very stressful

To have the kids home-schooling, too,

But everyone is in the same boat

And it’s never only you.

 

If you’re deemed to be essential

And have to go to work

Be mindful of those around you

And don’t act like a jerk.

 

Your colleagues want to do what’s right

To keep the community safe and sound.

We all need to do our bit

To stop this virus getting round.

 

Be kind to yourself right now,

The whole world is upside down.

It’s ok to have a day (a week!)

When you can’t manage but a frown.

 

It’s hard to be apart from loved ones

Especially in times this tough,

When you can’t attend weddings or birthdays,

And funerals from afar are rough.

 

Not being allowed at the bedside,

Not being allowed to say goodbye,

Means closure is never granted

And you can’t halt the tears you cry.

 

The best you can do is continue,

To carry on in spite of it all,

Because whatever we do isn’t perfect

And no one knows who will fall.

 

But continuing doesn’t mean ignoring,

We can’t just make it all disappear.

When we open our eyes it’s still present

And it’s hard to not live in fear.

 

That fear can keep us all safe,

As long as we don’t let it take control.

Knowing our internal boundaries

Will keep our mind on the goal.

 

All those things that you’ve been missing,

Like sports and social things,

Will still be there afterwards –

We know what the future brings.

 

If you’re stood down from your work

And the money won’t stretch very far,

Don’t worry that you let things go

Or how low you set the bar.

 

You don’t need to write a novel

Or learn a circus act

As long as you’re taking care of you

And that’s a goddamn fact.

 

When things start to open up

Don’t rejoice to much at first,

We don’t want a second wave

And feel again like we’ve been cursed.

 

Take it slowly when going out,

Keep that distance going strong,

And we’ll be through the worst of it

Before very long.

 

If your government is being slack

About putting measurements in place

Then take it upon yourself to learn

What to do to win this race.

 

It can be difficult to look around

And see other countries do so well

But you can what you need to do

To help the numbers not to swell.

 

If you listen to the experts

You’ll certainly minimise the chance

Of picking up or spreading it

While sitting at home with no pants.

 

When symptoms come upon you

Isolate yourself at home

And don’t let another soul

In your bubble or your dome.

 

If you need to attend the hospital

Don’t spread it as you go.

Wear your mask over your mouth and nose

To protect even your greatest foe.

 

These times are the hardest

That many of us have known

It’s completely changed how we live

And it can be easy to bitch and moan.

 

But we’re not being asked to go to war

We’re being asked to sit on the couch

And watch the TV all day long,

To act just like a slouch.

 

So, put on your comfy pyjamas,

Pick up that book you planned to read

But never had the time to start

Because you always had a deadline to heed.

 

Learn how to cook a meal

(I hear sour dough is all the rage)

Or start a new online course

With which you can engage.

 

And if none of that takes your fancy

Just do what makes you happy,

Even if it’s not exciting

And others think it’s sappy.

 

So, while my advice might seem simple

And not perfect by any means,

It will help you battle on

Between the interminable cleans.

 

And, yes, we will see cases

Including those we know and love

But we can reduce the likelihood

And we can rise above.

 

For me, I have been writing,

Including the words upon this page

While I have been off from work

And not drawing my usual wage.

 

In a perfect world I would not return

To my life as it was before

Because I have enjoyed the shutdown

And haven’t found it a bore.

 

But I hope you all find your inner peace

And can cope with these harsh times

Which have hit some harder than others

Without any reasons or rhymes.

 

And if you need a friendly ear to listen,

Please reach out if you can.

We are all in this together,

Every woman, child and man.

Radio

26/06/2020 – Poem a Day Compilation

 

Late at night, when the dark surrounds

And the shadows overwhelm,

I know that you’re there with me –

A voice calling from the void.

 

You fill my mind with pictures,

With ideas previously beyond my grasp,

Using your words to convey

A concept I didn’t know I needed.

 

You distract me from my worries

That threaten to derail my life

And I’m forever thankful

For your wisdom and your words.

 

I sleep easier for having listened

To the lessons you have taught,

My mind a calmer place for me

And my heart more settled in my chest.

 

I am so drawn in by the notions

You put forward for me to hear

Even though I’m half a world away

And you don’t know I exist at all.

Instagram Wall

25/06/2020 – Poem a Day Compilation

 

You showed me your Instagram page –

Full of selfies and pictures of you with mates

With your shirt off whatever the weather,

Showing off your washboard abs

And a tan that can’t be healthy –

As if it was supposed to impress me.

 

Your friend noticed my waning interest

But I feared he was just like you –

A vacuous, self-absorbed wannabe

Who couldn’t hold a conversation

Beyond your latest workout routine –

But I was pleasantly proven wrong.

 

His wall was filled with pictures

Of sunrises, trees and birds –

A nature lover at heart

With a keen eye for detail –

And we talked for hours

About nature and the meaning of life.

 

You could learn a thing or two from him

About how to win over a girl’s heart –

By the sharing of a passion,

And talking to them instead of at –

And I hope these words inspire you

To expand the focus of your obsession.

Lessons from Maths Class

24/06/2020 –  Poem a Day Compilation

There is nothing more pleasing

Than the idea of learning

And taking that knowledge from one area

And applying it somewhere else.

 

And though it may seem strange

For the lessons from mathematics

To be entwined with english,

It is inextricably linked.

 

The formulas themselves remain

Largely in the domain of maths

But the processes by which they are born

Are embedded in the language we use.

 

The elegance of an equation

Might evoke a similar response

To that when viewing an artwork

Crafted by one of the masters.

 

Statistics might seem terribly dry

But its logic is unquestionable

And it influences the mind of the viewer

To see the world in a more analytical way.

 

So, while you mind may wander,

Do try to see the beauty and inspiration

That mathematics holds in its grasp

And pushes out into the world.

Ghostwriter

23/06/2020 – Poem a Day Compilation

 

Am I a fraud for not writing the words

That flow so easily from another’s pen?

The ideas are mine but come haphazard

And I need a wordsmith to craft the narrative

That seems to spring to life in their hands

While I can barely mould a sentence

That comes across as dry as chalk

Cold Water

22/06/2020 – Poem a Day Compilation

 

I dipped a toe,

Somewhat tentatively,

Into the clear blue

Bracing against the cold

That would travel

In waves

Up my body,

Tingling my spine –

Exhilarating yet

Harsh and abrupt –

To the point

Where I hesitate

Before diving in;

The icy stillness

Disturbed violently

By my submerging body,

Air pushed out

From lungs stung

By frozen embrace.

Street Signs

21/06/2020 – Iso Well-Being Compilation

 

You know you’re comfortable with the route

When you don’t even look at the signs,

You get to your destination on autopilot

Driven without conscious thought.

But what happens when you must deviate,

When the route must be altered from the norm?

How well does your brain adapt to change

And guide you on this different path

To, perhaps, the same destination

But, maybe, to somewhere completely new?

I cannot reconcile the information

That I must use to modify my actions

With the well-worn behaviours

That have served me well until this point.

My heart beats faster as I search

And my breathing becomes shallow;

I can feel my palms sweating on the wheel

Steering me towards a destination

Along a road I have never seen before

And which I may never leave

As I feel my muscles tense and freeze

With every passing moment

Until I see a familiar sign

(A known street name a gift)

And air fills my lungs once more.

Note: This is the last of my Iso Well-Being Compilation poems. I will, however, be continuing with my poem a day for as long as have subjects to whet my appetite. I hope you've enjoyed my offering so far, and will continue to read and enjoy my work.