I can now look forward in the hope that, once lockdown is lifted and the virus under control, I will be seeing Sheila again.
It inspired me to write the following short poem. This time, in a nod to William Shakespeare, I have borrowed his favourite verse form, Iambic Pentameter, to write ‘a proper poem’.
At the height of the bubonic plague in 1592-93 Shakespeare was himself in partial lockdown in London, theatres closed. There was no vaccine to come to the rescue, one quarter of the population of the city died. It is likely that, during this time, he too would have foregone visiting his wife (Anne Hathaway) and children, back home in Stratford-upon-Avon.
The Jab
by Tony Ward
The call, next day – The Beacon, mask in place,
Allotted time, no queue, checked in, next space –
“In left, or right? Expose your upper arm”
The jab. Three weeks to wait, then free from harm.
The day draws nearer now, I see it clear,
That day will come, when Covid-free, no fear.
We’ll meet again, a hug, a cup of tea,
No screen, no PPE, just you and me.
Tony sitting beside Sheila in her care home during their first reunion since the pandemic began, back in December.
