Lockdown, Loosening Up

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

A new poem today inspired by a true-life story as sent in by Jay and Shakil.

If little else of a positive nature, Covid-19 had made many if not most of us realise that we may not have as much time left as we think so … all the more reason to get real about ourselves and stop playing mind games.Time, too, to think about what we really want and need from life, regardless of any socio-cultural-religious agenda-dogma imposed on us since birth; let the human spirit have its say, and trust it to help us make our own decisions without being made to feel threatened by some existential hell for going against established 'norms'.

If sharing our life with someone or living our lives in a way that does not correspond with how family and friends think we should, for whatever reason, offends them to the extent they shun us, that’s their loss; often, rejection is more of an impulsive, shock reaction, but where there is love, and it is strong, it will invariably make us see sense in so far as what our loved ones do is who they are, and it is who they are - family or friend – that remains whom we love, no matter what.

Rarely easy, but only a heartbeat away, and the heart heeds must have its say ... whether we choose to listen or not.

Sadly, love is not always as strong a life force as we would have it, and the human heart may well encounter  human opposition; we can but give the latter time to get used to the idea that the former has human rights too.

Meanwhile, I’m sure we all wish Jay and Shakil every happiness, Covid-19 notwithstanding.

LOCKDOWN, LOOSENING UP

Workmates on furlough,

we could but say “Hello” knocking elbows

in a bar, coronavirus demanding

no more or less of us, while something

about his smile

sending tremors down my spine

the way it never had before,

both of us experiencing the same,

afraid to say more

We talked about work,

wondering how things would work out

for us, once our furlough done,

trying to stay positive about returning

to how things once were

before the pandemic took the world

by the scruff of its neck,

demanding we reinvent ourselves,

make or break

Empathy bringing us closer

than we had ever been as office colleagues,

it slowly metamorphosed

into emotions we had fought off for years,

now close to surrendering,

weary of sad, lonely years threatening

an even worse fate

than Covid-19 killing us off, so… time

to Come Out?

Several drinks later, we parted in pouring rain,

a dead cert we'd be together again soon ...

Copyright R. N. Taber 2020

(London, UK July 19th)