With a generous helping of conscience and a little poetic licence, Jane Bickmore-Jaffer, MBE, a popular British author and founder of the Let’s Read initiative in Oman, converts some of her reflections during the lockdown into meaningful verse.

A world at war, a total invasion

Occupying our thoughts; to avoid contagion

An invisible enemy lurking in the air

Droplets float unheeded to infect those we care

 

With soap, sanitiser, and spray we fight

Breaking news streaming from morning ’til night

Locked down at home, glued to the screen

Viewing graphs and peaks of devastating Covid-19

 

No jobs, but health care workers flat out

Recognised on Thursdays with a clap and a shout

With PPE protection, medical teams intubate

Unable to save thousands from a terrible fate

 

Undertakers, with no peace, no rest in bed

As they struggle to burn and bury huge numbers of dead

Virtual funerals being held on zoom

Let us pray for deliverance from our own potential doom

 

On social media, bogus claims to kill the viral bugs

Scientists in a global race for vaccines and new drugs

To avoid the R factor, let’s test, test and test

But are our politicians really doing their best?

 

Heads will surely roll, as Trump and Xi’s war of words divide

And Floyd’s death on camera, give police nowhere to hide

When we at last emerge from this coronavirus mist

Will all lives matter, bending the knee and raising the fist?

 

BLM riots, historic monuments destroyed

White supremacists indignant, furiously annoyed

Can we change the narrative, re-write our story?

Give an honest account of racism and colonial glory?

 

Let’s pause, shutdown, reset, start anew

The planet healed itself while we were wondering what to do

NO2 and CO2 pollution becoming a thing of the past

Now, moving forward, we must find ways to make it last.

 

What have we learned from this unprecedented year?

To cherish our loved ones, value freedom, a walk without fear 

As a new dawn breaks, let’s pray to witness rebirth

By promising to love and protect our beautiful Mother Earth