©COVD19 Lockdown

On 16^th March (2020) I started isolating,

to protect myself from Coronavirus cross infection.

This unprecedented lock down opened doors for me all around.

I’m busier now than I’ve been before, doing things I’ve not done of yore.

Every day after ablution I meditate, then follow the daily routine I create

I exercise and deep breathe too,

and Tai Chi practice, I regularly do.

Daily I walk 1000 steps or more,

 circling around from front door to my back door

or I’ll go up and downstairs 35 times, while singing musical rhymes

I’ve scanned my address book and diary, and using social media successfully,

networked with friends and family, while reaching out to those who’re lonely.

I’ve invented culinary delights, like orange peel tea & green-banana skin bites.

The weather has been fairly good, so I’m enjoying things in my ‘hood’,

like seeing the difference between a wasp and a bee

and listening  to birds singing in the nearby tree.

My creative juices have been stimulated

and lots more poems I’ve created.

I’ve written a short autobiography, for the magazine, ‘People in Harmony’.

Three on-line courses I’ve completed and Mindfulness I have repeated.

I’ve learnt to compress a massive file, and change Microsoft word to a PDF file.

I rediscovered my piano key board in its package undisturbed,

and have started once more to play, a little tune each day.

I’ve discovered who cares about me,

these are my son, William and his family, and Mandy, Ruth, Vesna and Valerie,

 who religiously do my shopping for me.

Others bring joy to me, by demonstrating their loyalty.

I adhere to six feet distancing and remain in social isolation.

I don’t touch my grandchildren physically,

 but bed-time stories I tell them electronically.

I sing and dance with on line training, and Mr. Motivator exercising

My perceptions are more aware and I smell and breathe fresher air

The rays of the sun are warm on my skin, as the vitamin “D” in my pelt sinks in.

The sky is clearer now at night, and I see myriads of   stars shining bright.

Numerous clouds are visible during the day

Some whose names I can barely say.

like cumulonimbus billowing by

and nimbostratus darkening the sky, 

Social isolation has not been too bad for me, in this shutdown society.

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ABOUT EULINDA

Eulinda-Antonette Clarke-Akalanne was born in Barbados.  She came to England to train as a Registered General Nurse and worked as General Nursing Sister, Midwifery-Sister, Senior Psychiatric Charge-nurse and Health Visitor. In 2018 Eulinda-Antonette obtained BA honours in Anthropology from the University of Bristol. She is dramatist and singer and begun writing poems when she was 5 years old. Here are some of her most recent poems.

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