Part 1

In the latest addition to our isolation blog series, we are showcasing some of the fantastic poetry creations that have been shared by the English department since SGGS students and staff went into lockdown. Check back next week for Part 2!

 

Life in Lockdown by Millie Drayson

Our lives suddenly changed,

Yet we had so much arranged.

We closed our doors to the looming disease,

Which crept sneakily to us from overseas.

Statistics soaring, days more boring and our patience running short.

Suddenly, there is so much to clean and sort.

Lessons on Teams and watching the clock.

We somehow expect Boris to predict when this will stop.

We await the daily dose of depression every evening,

Gradually, as deaths rise, people are giving up believing.

Should we wear masks and are we immune?

The answers cannot come too soon.

Very few answers: yet endless questions.

Teachers send us helpful lessons,

But teenagers have become nocturnal and often in a mood,

Living off social media, music and lots of food.

However, we climbed the steep hill

And prevented more people from getting ill.

We stayed at home, we reached the top,

But that is not a sign that its time to stop.

The sun still shines

And we discover the benefits of exercise.

Whilst families grow closer and communities stronger,

Maybe some new habits will remain for longer.

 

We have learnt to appreciate normal life more

And perhaps even help with the occasional chore.

The true heroes have shone

And those who we sadly lost will never truly be gone.

We have become a part of history

And although a lot about this virus may remain a mystery,

Life after this should be better than ever

And how we reacted will be remembered forever.

Stay home, save lives, save the NHS

And our country will soon be back on the road to success.

 

Unity from Division – by Lily Yang

Suddenly the world seems aeons away,

Divided like an archipelago.

She still revolves, but Gaia has been

Upturned by the plight of her preponderant species –

As ingenuous as pollen, they drift

Along the exhalations of her breath,

To plunge, anchor, plunder a new host:

Reproduce – cleave in two – and repeat.

My eyelids have been forced from their pedestrian slumber:

Blinked blearily away the weary trance,

My lenses new-polished.

Now, at last, I have learned to breathe without bounds –

Except, not in public, of course –

Air (laden with pollen, bird-breath, bee-buzz)

Without breeze, like the lull of a stagnant river pulling

Its heavy load; the lackadaisical atmosphere

Languidly taunts our tainted perception:

Echoes of jubilant cries, ghostly whispers

Of song rooted in ivy or clear skies –

Nature's chorus grows as you thrive.

A vacillating trill strikes a forlorn melody

Of our heartstrings, though Cock Robin’s tune

Would seem as sweet as the cake for my

Sixteenth, a faded sepia photograph of unrealised plans;

In its stead, a digital gathering

Though physically apart, renewed spirits –

Retaining social connection, if not proximity like before

When we were incessantly busy, rushing around like ants on the forest floor, but today

Time, in butterfly form, has stayed perched on my shoulder since dawn.

So I care for my rabbit, more fervently than before,

Rollick through the rest of my chores, then dedicate

Delicate blue wings to creating things.

A portion of my mind wanders worldwide

To a long-held breath – released only by

A passing Adonis Blue, or sooner

By successful scientific endeavour –

While beacons of courage compassionately

Care for and support our community.

We never really walk alone, for we are

United as one species – humankind.

 

Life in lockdown By Isabel Downes,  

Beep beep beep.

Ping! Ping! Ping!

My phone jerked violently-

The dreaded ‘wake up!’ ding  

Brrring!

I turn the computer on    

What will I be learning?

I work, listening to my favourite songs.

Buzz buzz. Buzz buzz.

‘Hey how are you?’

 ‘Good thanks, what about-zzz’

Aargh! Connection, I hate you!

Silence.

It’s keeping me calm.

I get away from this viruses violence,

And look at the picture of us in my palm.

I miss you, my bestie.                                      

 

Life in lockdown by Camille Tissut

In cosy cages we await our fate

Drowning our dread with numb entertainment

Staring blankly at screens, grasping pixels

of glitching warmth and staged, false humour.

Our homes are the vessels of restless voices

Cloaking the silence that deafens our streets

But sweet birds are atheming the morn

Seas begin to blush with a deep sapphire

Her creatures return once more to heed her siren call.

Impatient, we watch the petals wilt

Searching for life outside of glass homes

As grey clouds succumb to blue

As smoke stops choking the stars

As coal stops staining the air

We watch

We pray

We hope

Now more than ever it's good to be alive

for those tucked away in chocolate box houses

playing puppets in paper towns

Dreaming of freedom with full-throated ease

 

Life in Lockdown by Megan Rowan

The Past:

Rushing from place to place

Never stopping

Days filled with endless activities

The speed of life flying by

Climate change, environmental issues

Realised yet never truly tackled

Living in the bubble of your own life

A materialistic existence

Traffic racing past

And the chirping birds deafened

Going to the shop

For unnecessary needs

The world a huge, busy, bright place

Full of huge, busy, bright people

The Present:

Hours spent facetiming friends

Who you no-longer see

With your head buried

In maths work that seems totally impossible

Clapping the NHS and emergency services

And being told over and over

To stay two metres apart

The realisation that people

Have it worse than you

The supermarket isles

Lie clear and barren

The total utter boredom

Yet the peace of slowing down

To stop and think

Yet the peace of slowing down

To stop and think of what to do now

The Future:

Returning to school, work, life

Meeting up, catching up

Parties, celebrations

Joy, love and hope a cloud

Over an accomplished world

Remembering those who were lost

Remembering those who lived

And rethinking the other

Pressing problems in the world

Just loving, caring and

Enjoying the fruitful lives we live

Praying for a hopeful future

And most importantly

Taking forward the lessons we have learnt

From this Life in Lockdown

 

Life in Lockdown by Anna Chater

Pubs have begun to lock their doors,

Beaches left deserted,

What once was a life with friends and joy,

Has quickly been converted.

Although life may seem so very dull,

That lining is still there-

Just search for silver in the bleak,

You'll find it fair and square.

 

Grass is greener than ever before,

Skies forever blue;

The planet is slurping up clean air,

And thanking us too.

The birds can finally see again,

No plumes in the sky.

We're finally making things better,

But all we do is sigh!

Lockdown;

A scary word at first.

Yet little did we know,

It's the hero for our earth!