Not all bullies shout and punch

Anti bullying week is 16-20th November 2020. This year, many are tired and stressed from living and working through this pandemic. In the workplace and at home, this is resulting in some behaviours which are less than ideal, with tempers being short and tolerance levels lower than usual. It is worth remembering that there are more discrete behaviours such as undermining and constant criticism that take their toll and need nipping in the bud too. 

Not all bullies shout and punch

Smiling eyes,

Belied only by an almost imperceptible 

Flinch at the corner.

 

Twittering jollity;

A false levity studded with veiled barbs 

That effortlessly wound.

 

Sycophantic niceties;

Their thick sugar coat fails to disguise

The venom concealed.

 

I shrink. 

Deflated, disappointed, disheartened, dejected. 

I retreat to heal;

Until we meet again. 

 

October 2020

COVID #5: Learning from COVID

COVID poem #5: Learning from COVID

Life is to be savoured.

We took so much for granted

Without appreciating how very fortunate we were

Without COVID. 

 

Things like hugs,

Unmasked faces,

Sharing air and touching,

Without fear of catching or sharing infection.

 

Dinner dates,

Drinks after work,

Family gatherings and celebrations,

Without having to consider where or how many people.

 

Visiting grandparents,

Holding their wrinkled hands,

Sitting close so they can lip-read and hear,

Without masks, alcohol gel, plastic screens or visiting bans.

 

Planning holidays abroad,

Tropical beaches, revitalising sunshine, 

Spectacular scenery, edifying cultural experiences,

Without fear of cancellation, quarantine, or implications for work and school.

 

Sitting in cinemas

Sharing bags of popcorn,

Concerts, arenas, standing in big crowds,

Without any thought of virus spread and global pandemics. 

 

One day,

One very fine day,

We'll do all these things again,

Savouring every moment, every touch, and every breath

Without COVID.

 

 

Rachel McCoubrie

24.10.20

COVID #4: 20/20 or 2020 Vision?

 It's World Poetry Day today and the theme is vision. Here's something I put together as I crunched on my granola this morning. 

20/20 or 2020 Vision

With my 20/20 vision, 

I may have ‘normal’ sight,

But my 2020 vision

Is what keeps me up at night.

 

With my 2020 vision,

Masked faces our disguise, 

Always second guessing

What might lie beneath the eyes.

 

With my 2020 vision,

Social distancing upheld,

Friends and family hurting,

Hugs and handshakes are withheld.

 

But my 20/20 vision

Can help me through each day,

Accepting this is tricky,

It won’t always be this way.

 

These 2020 measures

Are designed to keep us safe,

Flattening the curve

Of this second COVID wave.

 

Protecting one another,

We can meanwhile fantasize,

About the day we’ll hug and see

Those smiles beneath our eyes. 

Rachel McCoubrie

1.10.2020