Poem - The Unknown


This short verse was written on 19 March 2020, just four days before the UK entered the first Covid lockdown. On that day, schools closed indefinitely to all but vulnerable children and the children of key workers. Exams were cancelled, and the television and newspapers were filled with stories of rising death tolls around the world.

People were scared - many, especially the vulnerable, went into isolation, terrified of infection and the very real threat of death. It really did feel as though the world was falling apart.

Looking back now, it’s difficult to fully recall the emotions I felt as I wrote the verse which follows. I do remember feeling uneasy about what lay ahead. I certainly worried for the older, more vulnerable members of my family, but if I’m honest, the thought of isolating at home, completely alone, frightened me more than the virus itself.

Much has been said and written about the impact of lockdown on our society, but this post isn’t meant to offer any kind of commentary on the rights and wrongs of the years that followed. It is simply an attempt to capture my own feelings on that particular day.  I hope the structure of the verse reflects the confusion, fear, and faint glimmers of hope I felt at the time - and that these words might resonate with you too.


THE UNKNOWN 

We will walk into it together. 

arm in arm and hand in hand. 

We may cry, 

but we WILL laugh together, in this unknown land. 

And when, at last these days are done 

and the world is calm again, we will smile 

and we'll remember that this was not the end.


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