Our wings have been clipped, we are no longer free
To meet friends at cafes for coffee or tea
To travel, watch concerts, go to the gym
Watch sport at the pub, see our favourite team win.
We’re not free to see family, our loved ones our mates
Go out for meals, go to school, go on dates
Go to the hairdresser, beauticians or spa
We even need a reason to go out in the car.
The truth is you know, we are actually free
To see friends, have catch ups over coffee or tea
Facebook or Skype, What’s app or Zoom
That no one had heard of and now it’s gone boom!
We are free to love, be kind, spread joy
Free to spend time with our girls and our boys
Free to help others in their hour of need
Free to slow down, free to take heed.
From those real heroes like Captain Tom Moore
Who once wasn’t free when he fought in the war
Whose heroic actions ensured for you and me
That we live in a country he helped to keep free.
Yes it’s hard, at times it’s mundane
Spending so much time at home, drives you insane.
When the days seem long try not to despair
Learn something new like how to cut hair!
Savour the moments of these simpler ways
As it won’t be long before crazier days.
Back to the rat race at such a fast pace
Missing so much that stares us in the face.
Be still, be quiet be peaceful and listen
To the morning birdsong, see the fresh dew glisten.
Go out for walks, open your eyes
Take in the beauty, see the sun rise.
Watch your kids play, squabble and laugh
Give yourself permission to be stupid and daft.
Spend time talking, get to know people well,
Make special memories, have stories to tell.
We have lost sight of what really matters
Too much going on, the world is in tatters
Maybe it’s the universe telling us to slow
Before life drifts on by and we don’t really know.
The important things in life that are actually free
That pass us by because we are too busy.
Of course there are those worse off than others
Those who have lost children, fathers or mothers.
Those who are seeing their businesses fade
Those who are jobless and aren’t being paid
Take time to be grateful for the small mercies
Join in with clapping for carers on Thursdays.
So as we continue through this unprecedented time
Stay focused on the positives, stay home and drink wine!
Our wings have been clipped but we are still free
To stay strong and unite, that is the key.
Liz Murray-White, Badsey, May 2020
[This poem was first published in The Evesham Journal of 28th May 2020.]