Poem: First Train Journey Since Lockdown (A Joyous Reunion)

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Coronavirus, Family, Friends, Lockdown, Poem, Poetry, Train, Travel

Cloudy Monday morning, it’s 10 am.
I’m jumping back on the train again.
Lockdown: a four month gap gone at last.
Now I settle into my seat donned in face mask.
Some people, like me, look warily around,
Others are maskless and wearing a frown.
Still, on this first train there’s a respectful distance
Between all of us wishing to extend our existence.

---

I’m on the connecting train now to my destination,
Beginning to brim with anticipation
At seeing my daughter, it’s been ages
As I reflect that lockdown couldn’t contain us.
Video chats where we played, had meals and laughed,
Kept us bonded together as the time past.
And as the train now snakes through countryside once more,
I look forward to what the day has in store.

---

In this train carriage there’s hardly a soul about,
So when will we return to normal with no doubts?
I step on to the platform scouting a rest room to wash my hands,
Recalling I’ve got paper towels as part of my hygiene plan.
I’ll use my own cutlery in the pub for now, but that’s okay,
If it means we’re safe and healthy for another day.
I see my daughter in the car park with a smile and wave,
To you all: if you travel, have fun, be responsible and safe.

ABOUT

Wherever you are in the the world, I hope you get to see your family and friends soon. Please travel safely and responsibly.

I’d love to know what you think of the poem. If you have any comments, it’d be great to hear from you.

Peace and love, Everybody 😊

Prose Poem: Bird Man

Tags

Alone, Birds, blogging, Blogging community, creative writing, Discovery Prompts, Lonely, Poem, Poetry, Prose poetry

As the sun rises and sets casting it’s pink and golden hue across the city,
I while away my days perched atop this building:
This building I’ve long called home, far above and far away
From the people who scuttle on, oblivious to one another as I am to them.

---

But I prefer it this way, maintaining my own space.
I’m no bother to anybody save the birds who vie for my attention.
They’re my friends, after all, and they keep me on the narrow and straight,
Seeking my wisdom in all the ways they consider me wise.

---

A few centuries ago (before the time of cars and planes or when the smoke of factories filled the air)
They gave me a gloriously feathered coat.
Up to that point mine had been an unsettled existence
As that of a Lone Traveller is fated to be, lost between all realms in Time and Space.

---

I always enjoyed the dream of a solitary existence, just not to be lonely.
My avian friends answered the cries of my heart, respecting my independence when people did not.
And my cape of feathers brought me unbridled freedom, then:
A cloak of invisibility to pass by undetected.

---

As Time and Memory bounded on I settled my weary bones in this World.
And in this city with its noises and lights and colours
My heart beats strongest as I march through the hordes and the throngs without trace
To carry out the business of the birds – for they have needs like you and me.

---

How grateful I am when my work is done to return and share my rooftop with the sparrows and the magpies and the robins to name a few.

*********

About

I wrote this inspired by the character Old Bailey in Neil Gaiman’s book ‘Neverwhere’. He’s an old man who lives on top of a building in London with birds to keep him company.

Having also watched a YouTube video about people who preferred being alone, I was able to expand on the themes of the poem. I also wanted to highlight the therapeutic qualities of the pets and animals in our lives.

I hope you liked reading it. Please feel free to leave a comment below – it’d be great to know what you think of this work.

Flash Fiction: Mr Nighty Night (An Insomniac’s Dream)

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Coronavirus, Discovery Prompts, Discovery-Prompts, fiction, Flash fiction, Insomnia, Lockdown, Sleep, writing

The hum of the fridge and the tick-tock of the clock sound off in my head. My eyes are too heavy to close. I’ve stared blankly at the telly for the best part of an evening, hoping to lull myself away in front of some mindless show.

Tick tock! Tick Tock!

I’m trying to sleep in the living room because as soon as I go to bed I fully wake up. But trying another room has little effect; there’s just different distractions.

It’s been like this for four solid weeks now. I’ll drift off at some point, only to wake two, three or four hours later and that’ll be my quota of sleep for the night.

TICK TOCK!

It’s not funny. I’m grouchy, snappy, overly emotional: all things that I’m not usually. I can’t be bothered with people at work; I’ve no energy for family or friends either. My personality has completely altered. I don’t have anything particularly bothering me to keep me awake, except now, obviously, I just can’t sleep. I’ve lost the ability to care about anything due to exhaustion, anyway.

Remedies, cold showers, no technology before bed…. you name it, I’ve tried it. I. Just. Can’t. Sleep.

TICK TOCK!

Do I want a sandwich? Or a beer? Or to read a book? No, they all involve actions that may stimulate my brain too much and induce this insomnia more.

So, I’ll stare at the ceiling until my eyelids are pasted shut against my eyes and hope that this time I can break the spell to stay in the land of dreams for longer.

TICK TOCK!

ABOUT

I found this piece of work in a random ideas file on my laptop and spruced it up a little bit before I put this post up. I remember when I wrote it a couple of years ago I just couldn’t sleep for weeks for seemingly no reason. It affected my creativity, so I just ended up writing how I felt at the time.

All this reminded me of how I felt early on in lockdown: like a mindless zombie that couldn’t see a way through. I thought it apt, therefore, to post it now.

THANKS FOR READING

I appreciate you reading this post. If you have any comments, it’d be great to hear from you.

Stay safe (and sleep well), Everybody 😊