They said ‘these times were sad and strange’
They closed schools and sent the children home
They taught and learned from laptop screens
They juggled work and home and social life
They tried to occupy locked-in teens
They began adapting and adopting
They said ‘stop moaning it’s not so bad’
They watched other people flout the rules
They wrote ‘these covidiots drive me mad’
They closed their shops and businesses
They furloughed staff to get them through
They grew anxious about finances
They ‘kept calm’ as ‘us British’ often do
They stuck rainbows in their windows
They stayed at home indoors for days
They played virtual games and quizzes
They watched online musicals and plays
They stood outside their homes as families
They clapped at eight on Thursday nights
They tried to explain it to their little ones
They smiled and held their loved ones tight
They saw ballet dancers in their kitchens
They performed and collaborated on Zoom
They held birthday parties over Whatsapp
They celebrated remotely from living rooms
They kept kids active watching Joe Wicks
They stayed at home without their friends
They played with siblings in their gardens
They didn’t go out on weekends
They couldn’t watch their favourite bands
They couldn’t play football on the field
They washed and sanitised their hands
They 3D printed PPE face shields
They started counting up the dead
They watched the death toll quickly rise
They began to see the dark reality
They wiped the tears away from eyes
They lost their closest friends and family
They watched their funerals online
They stayed at home alone remembering
They sipped on yet another glass of wine
They watched the official daily updates
They watched leaders receive intensive care
They rationed oxygen and hospital beds
They opened new hospitals everywhere
They didn’t know what the end might look like
They knew that everything would change
They talked of these times often
They said ‘these times were sad and strange’
