They said these times were sad and strange
They closed schools and sent the children homeThey taught and learned from laptop screensThey juggled work and home and social lifeThey tried to occupy locked-in teens They began adapting and adoptingThey said ‘stop moaning it’s not so bad’They watched other people flout the rulesThey wrote ‘these covidiots drive me mad’ They closed their shops and businessesThey furloughed staff to get them through They grew anxious about financesThey ‘kept calm’ as ‘us British’ often do They stuck rainbows in their windowsThey stayed at home indoors for daysThey played virtual games and quizzesThey watched online musicals and plays They stood outside their homes as families They clapped at eight on Thursday nightsThey tried to explain it to their little onesThey smiled and held their loved ones tight They saw ballet dancers in their kitchensThey performed and collaborated on ZoomThey held birthday parties over WhatsappThey celebrated remotely from living rooms They kept kids active watching Joe Wicks They stayed at home without their friends They played with siblings in their gardensThey didn’t go out on weekends They couldn’t watch their favourite bandsThey couldn’t play football on the fieldThey washed and sanitised their hands They 3D printed PPE face shields They started counting up the deadThey watched the death toll quickly riseThey began to see the dark realityThey wiped the tears away from eyes They lost their closest friends and familyThey watched their funerals onlineThey stayed at home alone remembering They sipped on yet another glass of wine They watched the official daily updatesThey watched leaders receive intensive careThey rationed oxygen and hospital bedsThey opened new hospitals everywhere They didn’t know what the end might look likeThey knew that everything would changeThey talked of these times oftenThey said ‘these times were sad and strange’