Social Distancing
Face masks
Check your temperature
Persistent Cough
Stay at home
Keep your distance
Two metres apart
Stay Alert

Defeat the Virus
Protect the NHS
Save Lives
Wash your hands
Sing the National Anthem
Twice
Covid Secure workplace

Work from Home
Daily Death Rate
Keep the r
Below one
Exercise once a day
Jo Wicks
Zoom meetings

Stay safe
Care Homes
ICU
Furlough Scheme
Global Pandemic
Vaccine
Treatment
Wuhan

Viral Pneumonia
CPAP
BiPAP
Care workers
Delivery Drivers
Emergency Budget
Recession
Thursday Clap

Flatten the peak
Second Wave
Clean Air
Bird song
Binge Watch
Netflix
Daily Briefing
Never Ending

What if the things we believe in
Came true?

If we truly believe in heaven
We would one day end up there?

What if reality
Was a complete product of our beliefs?

Then again, what if it wasn’t?

What if we things we believed in
Never happened?

Then there would be no reason
To believe in anything

And it follows that in time
We would cease to believe
In the importance or relevance
Of our own existence

And then we would, in time
Cease to exist

But we do exist

And we do have beliefs

So if our beliefs
Do create our reality

Why do we struggle
To believe in a better life?

Why do we reject the possibility
Of creating a paradise on earth?

Coffee makes me dance
It makes me sing
It makes me smile
It makes me zing

It makes me awake
When I should be asleep
It makes me happy
When things look bleak

It makes me wish
For an endless cup
So I could drink
And never stop

It makes me feel
That life is sweet
So here’s to a coffee
Next time we meet

Dark blue shades
Transform
To shimmering pulses
Of deep pink
Rippling like circles
On a pond

Warm air
Mixes between entities
And new possibilities arise
As hearts merge
Allowing
An unforeseen future
To be revealed

Two tiny caterpillars
A meeting of ants
Wood pigeons roosting
Bees buzzing by

Soft green grass
Cool dry earth
Blue sky floating clouds
Calendula plants sway

Roses of pink
Peek through broken fence slats
Rusting barbecue of black
Beside a flat tyre bicycle

Lush green leaves bounce
Silk strands float
Breezes of spring dance invisibly
As I sit in my garden

Today our street partied
Although we kept two metres apart

We danced and sung
And played music

And met each other
With open hearts

This would never have happened
Were it not for the time
We are all living through

Adversity has brought us together
And our street
Is a stronger community for it

Thank you Rochford Avenue
For the best ever street party

A dead pigeon
Lay on the tarmac
Behind the deserted funfair
At Southend pier

We were taking our daily walk
And almost didn’t see

But then we noticed
The poor creature
Eyes pale and closed
Neck turned
Wings fanned
Motionless, empty

Beside it
Stood a second pigeon
Quietly
Waiting
One inch, maybe two
From its companion

The pigeon saw us
Blinked a few times
And continued to wait
Unmoving
As if somehow
It was paying respects
To its lost friend

I don’t know if
They were husband and wife
Friends
Or even siblings

But I do know
That the pigeon
Was grieving
Showing deep respect
For its fallen friend

And we stood and watched
This solemn ceremony
For many minutes

As the pigeon stood
Silently, softly
Beside its lost friend
And our hearts felt
The sorrow
Of that bird

Today
I studied my hand
Closely

I looked and I looked
And after a while
I remembered
That I am nothing but
A living creature

Born from an eternally repeating cycle
Assembled from ancient materials

Arisen from the universe
And unique circumstance
To be alive
At this time

Alive
Present
Manifest

My realisation
Made me feel
Good

Have we been sleepwalking
Towards this sorry state of affairs?

Have we refused to think hard enough
About the biggest problems facing humanity?

Have our eyes been closed
And our heads buried in golden sand?

Have too many of our people died
Because we couldn’t be bothered
To do the work needed
To protect each other?

Have we been so obsessed with private gain
That we have pushed those in poverty
Over the edge?

What is humanity’s purpose?  
What is our greatest achievement?
Of what can we be most proud?

What will we be glad of
At our own day of reckoning?

Morning breaks
Eyes open
Trees lean
To peer in through the window
At the sleepy giant

Huge and hairy
He yawns and groans
Lying beside him, his beauty
Dreams and sighs

Heavy feet trudge along the hall
And furry four-legged creatures
Curl around the giant’s ankles
Eyes wide with anticipation
Of the first meal of the day

From the glass
A wild haired sleepy-eyed creature
Stares with a gloomy look
At last great hands move
And hot water splashes over the whiskered face

A few grunts and stretches
And the monster is freshened
And a lantern in his heart is slowly lit

A new dawn has broken
And the beast
Reaches his numb hands
Out to humanity
Asking
'May I walk with you
On this lonesome road of life?'
And one by one hands join
And a smile appears on his grizzled face

The beauty of creation
Is that you bring something
From the world of latency
Into the world of existence

And then it is there
For all to see
To wonder at and admire

Creation is not possible
Without the person
Nor is it possible
Without the latent energy
Nor the manifest world
In which we live

When we align our lives
With the energy of the universe
We create

When we pit our lives against
Universal energy
We destroy

To lead a creative life
Is to live a life
Most meaningful

I am running away
Although I am sitting still

I am eating food
Although I am full

I meditate
Whilst my mind races elsewhere

I am awake
But oh, so tired

I am frustrated
But inactive

Alert
But drowsy

I want to create
But don’t know where to start

I want to love
But want to be left alone

I want to dance
But I don’t want music

I want to be drunk
But I don’t want a drink

I want to smoke
But I couldn’t stand a cigarette

I want to sleep
While I am awake

I want the opposite
Of what I need

I want...I don't...I want...

The World needs more fathers and grandfathers
Men who act with love and kindness
Nurturing their families and loved ones

In these strange times
I have for some reason
Been trying to avoid
Asking myself the question

'Have I been living
The life
I wanted…?'

The life
I expected
To lead…?

And when
I face this big question
I realise
I have not…

And I have been wondering
Why?

Why…have I been living
A life
So different
From that
Which I expected?

And I realise...

How could I possibly
Live a life
Just created and limited by
The workings of my own mind?

When this universe is so great
So deep so profound and
Magical

That the best thing to do
Is to let go of all expectations
And fall...

Be part of it
Go with it
Flow with it
Experience life within this Universe
With all its gifts and treasures

With not one expectation

My small friend
You have returned
From the abyss
And recovered

Your small body shines
Brighter than it ever did
As if you
Have shed your skin

Life pulses through you
And you seem
More inquisitive
More vibrant
More alive

More connected
To the challenge
Of being

And further
From the mystery
Of dying

If this is the karma of humanity
It’s time to change it

A great artist once said
Art is when someone’s subconscious
Talks to another person’s subconscious
Through art
I believe this to be true

Today we played a silly game
And laughed and laughed
And laughed

This is what we should do
More often

You might not know
But my love is here
To catch you
If you fall

I will be one
Who listens
When your heart is broken

I will be a strong guardian
Should you ever need my shelter
As you voyage from home
Out into the wilds

I will feel your tears
And share them with you
For I know that friends and lovers
Will hurt your pure heart

But it is better for you
To have lived, loved and given
Than to have been too afraid
To share your heart
With others

We have a white wine haze
To numb our feelings

And distract us
From the all too familiar routine
Of lockdown

Like fuzzy haloes before our eyes
Things have become white
And cloudy
And nothing seems to matter so much

And we fall into our beds
Wanting to sleep for one hundred years
And reawaken beyond the storm
When the world will have put itself to rights

But we know
Another clear dawn
Awaits us
With its sharp truth
Of this earthly challenge

And then
We will rub our eyes
And turn to the coffee ***

I can see
That you are struggling
To survive

You are battling
The approach
Of the abyss
But you are not giving up

You are brave
And quiet
Just breathing
Hard

And floating
Held by
Your environment
Your world

I do not know
If you will make it through

I hope you do

This morning
I felt fragile
And then
I remembered
That the winds that blow
Can either knock us down
Or
If we are strong
And resist the force
We can use the gusts
To help us take flight
Elevating our lives
To unseen heights

I am at home
In my home
Watching the blue sky of day
Grow lilac

My last train journey
Was a month ago

Since then
Spring leaves have grown
On the tree in my garden
And the air
Has become noticeably cleaner

Perhaps this global malady
Will persist until our planet
Is given space to purify

Dark
Silent
Still

Origin
Of
Thought

You echo
Like vast
Empty caves
Laden
With electricity

You wait for trains
To pass through
Your tunnels

Carrying messages
Parcels of information
Which when unpacked
Uproot the tracks
And twist them
Into new shapes
Reconfiguring
The great map
Of existence

Shaped by inner
And outer
Forces

You are
Unique
In your existence

Separate
From all other dimensions

Sandy yellow
Orange
Green

These are the layers
Of colour
Painted by the brush

They swirl and swish
Across the page
Making patterns
That soothe my eyes

As I stare
I see faces
In the colours
Looking back at me

Colours
Make my soul
Dance with life

They remind me
Of the beauty of this world
And change how I feel

All right
I admit
I just don’t get you
At all

I simply do not understand
The workings of your mind
Or your heart

We are different
So different
And right now
We might as well be
On different planets

The toll of lockdown
Manifests in strange
Unpredictable ways

One minute
We are fine
The next
We are not

I guess I will accept
That this day
Has not gone well

But tomorrow awaits
And I will hope
For something
Better

How strange and curious
Is this thing called life

We know that we know not what lies ahead
And yet we believe we understand
The workings of the universe

These last few days
Have been like a dream
In which everything
We have ever known
Has disappeared
Only to be replaced by a strange dystopian existence

We have stood
Noble, like Kings and Queens
Gazing proudly upon our creations for too long
Oblivious of the storm that would
Come to wash it all away

And now we wonder
What will become of us
When all of this is through

Maybe one day
We will awaken
To a world more beautiful and fair
Than we can possibly imagine

Or maybe our days
Playing carelessly in the sun
Have burned us too deeply

I know you are my friends
Because when I see you
I smile

I know you are my friends
Because when I hear your voices
I am encouraged

I know you are my friends
Because when I speak with you
I feel listened to

I know you are my friends
Because when we share our stories
And talk about things that matter
We care for each other and offer each other
Encouragement

I know
I can connect with you
All I need to do, is listen

And I know, that you will say something
That I can understand
And by listening to you
I will learn something

And we will grow closer
Forming an invisible connection
That will bind us
Forming another strand
In the protective web of our humanity

How long will this last?
We ask?

As long as it needs to…

When all of this is over
And we have returned to ‘normal’ ways
When it is once again safe
‘To profit’ from society

Remember this...

We need each other

We need those who look after us
Those who feed us
Those who care for us
Those who teach us

We need clean air to breathe
We need nature to bloom
We need our rivers to run clear
Our seas to be pure

We need to lay down arms
Refuse to fight each other
To think once, twice and three times
About all of our actions

We need art, we need song,
We need humour, embraces,
We need love and family
We need fun and connection

We need to be confident
That who we are is enough

We need not chase
Shallow recognition, fame or fortune

We do not need to oppress others
To gain for ourselves

We need not put ourselves first
Whilst others perish

We need each other

We need to take care
Of everything that we do

We need to know that our lives
Are working towards a greater good

And that through our actions
We make things better for the future, not worse

Remember this...

As forgetting
Will bring us back

To this point

Like firm footsteps through deep snow
Like the burst of a sprinter’s speed after the starter's gun
Like the opening downbeat of a great conductor's baton
Like the ‘clack’ of a champion golfer’s drive
Like the gushing of a mighty waterfall
Like the mass migration of antelope across the plains
Like a lion protecting its cubs
We will not give up
We will prevail
For we are full
Of resolve

Creating
A truly happy family
Can
Change the world

Wine, cheese and crackers
Simple things
Make me happy

What do I remember of the day?

I remember waking early
To pray for one hour

Hanging clean white sheets on the washing line
And watching them sway in a gentle breeze

The taste of fresh cut melon
Decorated with natural yoghurt

My daughter’s patience
As she teaches me new dance moves

I remember the pink haziness of the sky
And the full balminess of the Spring air

The softness of my cat’s fur
And the comfort of my wife’s voice

I remember

That I am human and that I have life
And with that I have death

I remember the smiling faces of my work colleagues
And cheerful songs of the morning birds

These are the things that I remember
As I prepare to sleep

And they are all treasures
Of the day

The hospitals are quieter at night
Nurses sit at desks reading case notes by lamplight
Preparing medicines, making their checks
As Doctors try to sleep
Restless, expecting to be called

Patients try and doze
Removed from the familiarity of home
They contemplate life in the growing darkness
Wondering how they have come to be here

Cleaners dust handrails and mop floors
This is all part of another days work for them
Nothing extraordinary
They sweep away the dramas of the day
Dispersing the difficult conversations
Polishing the tear stained floors of waiting rooms
Preparing each room for another life and death battle

They will puff ******* cigarettes and pull coats around them
When they finish their shifts

The hiss of oxygen dancing through plastic tubes
Mixing with the hoots of owls
While balmy air floats over the concrete roofs

Sunrise is a long way off
And the night will grow darker and darker still
Tomorrow, some will go home
Other will take their last breath
Make their last gaze
Have their last contact with another human
Tomorrow feels like a long way away

Machines will deliver cheap coffee
In plastic cups to offer hot comfort
For weary relatives and night time arrivals
And tired eyes will blink
Under strip lighting, wishing they were tucked up at home

At eight o’clock the shutters of the café will be pulled up
And ordinary people will awaken the corridors
Banishing the spirits of the night hospital

But for now, though, the world sleeps
The hospital only waits
Never sleeping, only waiting for life to take its next turn

Stay at home!
Protect the NHS!
Save Lives!

These are the utterances
The soundbites and verbal strategy
Etched into our heads
By our Prime Minister
Who now lies in intensive care
Struggling for his life

No matter who they be
Or what they stand for
I would not wish this on anyone

Our lives unpredictable, fragile
Turn from one path to another
In a tiny slice of time

Shifting from presence
To absence
Here to…
Gone

We are all in this together
Some will live
Some will not

And as a human being
We all feel the sword of Damocles
Suspended
Above our heads

Perhaps it is only written in the stars
Who will endure
Who will not

Who is able to say
What will become of any of us?
Or how we will meet our end

I pray for humanity,
For hope
For a future in which people treat each other
Differently

All human pursuits should be turned
Towards helping others
And the perseveration
Of our natural world

This is simply how it should be

I’m sure the universe has a plan
If I can just catch its waves
Someone said you need a surfboard
To navigate the swell and sway

I’m sure the universe has a plan
If I can just get myself on board
I have to grab the ropes and pull
To climb the boat and move it forth

I’m sure the universe has a plan
If I can steer my rickety ship
I’ll climb the peaks and dip the troughs
If only I can keep my grip

I’m sure the universe has a plan
To take me from this mess we’re in
I think there’s somewhere calm and lush
Away from this rushing noisy din

I’m sure the universe has a plan
If I can just hold my nerve
If I aim towards a steady course
I might find the happiness I deserve

I’m sure the universe has a plan
For us and the whole world family
If we all sail our ships so true
We might fulfil a master plan

And if every ship goes where it should
We’ll turn this troubled earth to good
And all the crap we’ve made so far
Will melt away like an aged scar

I’m sure the universe has a plan
I ought to crack on for sure
Because life goes by in the blink of an eye
And I want no regrets when I say goodbye

A bundle of troublesome things
Are held within my heart
Confusing and knotted
And ******* together
Way too difficult for me to understand

But what is also in my heart
Is buried at its core
And the thick outer layers
Which hold my truth from coming forth
Cannot deny its existence, way below

The walls and restraints that hold it thus
Wrestle and grip
But the restless beauty at its core
Which yearns so badly to be free
Is there I know it
And will emerge
Like the sun over a glassy still ocean

Whats in my heart
I ask myself, is the essence
That makes up 'me'
The coil of unique existence
Created in the sea of the universe
A star like no other
My
Heart

Life is a risk
Threat lies everywhere
As does opportunity
Life is full of such things

We are but living beings
Held in the most delicate balance
Between normality
And extinction

And there is joy to be found
In the very essence of living
No matter what or where
We find ourselves

If we can but remember this
Then each moment becomes precious
Unique
Memorable

On this morning
So bright and fresh
Green grasses of spring
Dance peacefully in the quiet breeze
Wood pigeons sing softly
And buds on naked trees
Glisten as they present their fledgling leaves
To the world

On this morning
The sun dazzles
And warms me
Seagull chatter soothes my ears
And all else is quiet
The air has a natural freshness
As people sleep in their beds
And I feel free, like a child

When people crumble
What is revealed?

A human shell
A remnant
An incomplete representation
Of the embodied self

When people crumble
We witness the manifestation of
A helpless child
Unprotected, unsafe, exposed

When people crumble
Time travels
Transporting them
To when injustice rained down heavily
And they were beaten
My humanity’s inhumanity

When people crumble
We are reminded
Of the past
For it is there
That hidden injuries were inflicted

The planet is fighting back
Or so I hear
The universe is responding
To what we have done, or so they say

When I breathe
I no longer smell
The acrid fumes
Of traffic jams

When I listen
I no longer hear
The thick rumble
Of engines

I smell the scent of Spring
I hear the songs of birds
I see nature darting to and fro
Recovering from our injurious behaviours

And we take stock
Of what has brought humanity
To this point
In our history

This is what I think
This is what I think
This is what I think
This is what I think

This is what I know
This is what I know
This is what I know
This is what I know

So, this is what I think
This is what I know
So, this is what I think
This is what I know
So, this is what I think

This is how it is
This is how it is
This is how it is
This is how it is
So this is how I act
This is how it is
So this is how I act

This is how things are
This is how things are
This is how things are
This is how things are
So this is what I do
This is how things are
So this is what I do

This is what I do
This is what I do
This is what I do
This is what I do

Is it?
Is it?
Is it?
Is it?
Is
It
How
I
Think
It
Is
?

I signed up
To join the war
Offering myself
To the front lines

I feel the dance
Of inside butterflies
And wonder when
I’ll get my call

Who knows what
The future holds
If I will fight
A courageous battle

Will I live
To tell the tales
Of how we
Fought and won

Or will I falter
Get it wrong
And end up
In defeat

I must take care
Along this road
And use my life
As best I can

Bird

Soaring
Free
Happy

I wish
I could fly
Just like you

Today at 8pm
My family stood at our front door
To applaud the efforts
Of our national health service workers

Neighbours I have not yet met
Stood all down our street
And we clapped and cheered
And generated a new sense of togetherness

I have learned
A greater appreciation
For all the efforts that are being made
By people to create society

This is the world we need
Where people treasure people
And each precious contribution
Is valued and honoured

What are you dreaming of?

You seem so comfortable and warm
Lying curled up on my bed

What goes through your mind
When your eyes are closed
And your breathing is slow?

What is it you are dreaming of?

What will tomorrow bring for you?
What is it that you long for?
What does happiness mean to you, I wonder?

Are your dreams different from my own?
What is it you are dreaming of?

There is a strange kind of magic in the air
It is the return of Spring
Sounds of nature
Unpolluted by mechanised human activity
Float through the air

I can actually hear the birds sing
And bees and insects buzzing along

The natural world is showing us
That there is beauty all around
If we allow it space
And offer it our respect

The human race
Has stopped racing
For a brief span of time
And it feels like the natural world
Is breathing a sigh
Of relief

Who will I be
In this quarantine?

Who will I find
Inside my mind?

Who will be there
When all others have gone?

Who do I become
When I am one?

Once I was a doctor
Laying hands on pulses

Once I was a gardener
Pushing my fork through thick earth

Once I was singer,
Making music  on stage

Once I was player
Playing games with the playful

Once I was barman
Pouring lager in tall glasses

Once I was sportsman
Scoring points in open spaces

Now I am held captive
By the edict of a virus

Now I am a prisoner
Without bars, held at home

Now I need to find
The key to my identity

Now I have to unlock
The window of my soul

Now that  my armour
Has been locked away

Now we will see
Who I will be

My castle is closed
My tribe is remote
My diary is empty
All happenings undone

Now we will see
Now we will see
Now we will see
Who I can be