In Normal Times…

As we reflect on the past year we’ll all have our own ways of reflecting and dealing with what we have experienced. We all have our own stories to tell. Some people will tell theirs and other people won’t. For me, I started writing this poem a very long time ago and dipped in and out of it at various stages of despair, happiness and uncertainty. It’s far from perfect and it will never be truly finished. Maybe all of it will relate, maybe only bits will but hopefully it will give you pause to reflect on your last year and how you’ve got through it. The last year has been hard, but I’m acutely aware that I have been luckier than many. Almost like survivors guilt, I guess. It’s hard to explain, but it doesn’t make our own journey’s any less important or relevant. The picture I’ve chosen is one I took just before the beginning of the first Lockdown.

Take care and stay safe.

In Normal Times.

In normal times we’d zoom along on our commute to work
In normal times we’d pack the tube and buses and invade each other’s personal space
In normal times we didn’t care what was on our bookcase
Now we Zoom each other alone

In normal times we’d make small talk in the office
In normal times we’d pop out for lunch
In normal times we’d long to escape our desks
In normal times we saw colleagues more than our family
But these aren’t normal times

In normal times we’d hug our friends and dance or chat the night away
In normal times we’d look forward to the weekend
In normal times we’d say that there’s no place like home
Now home feels like the only place

In normal times we’d hear an ambulance and wonder what had happened
In normal times we’d still to help someone in the street
In normal times our kids would go to school
In normal times we’d only buy the toilet rolls we needed
In normal times we’d rarely clap for carers

In normal times Wednesday was the hump day
Now every day we’ve got the grump
In normal times we’d go to the pub and watch our team
In normal times we’d fill stadiums with boos and cheers
Now pubs and stadium still stand empty

In normal times we didn’t wear masks
In normal times we’d kid ourselves that every life mattered just the same
In normal times elections would run smoothly
In normal times we’d respect the rules
In normal times we’d treat supermarket workers better

In normal times we’d feel ‘normal’
In normal times we could ignore the chaos
In normal times we could paper over my cracks
In normal times we could keep our heads above water
In normal times we would never stop
In normal times we would (perhaps) never look back

These are not normal times, but we’ve made it together and we mourn those whom we’ve lost.