by tertia rollason ~

Dear 2020,

You weren’t quite the year I expected,
You brought a global pandemic and a new US president was elected. 
I started my first job with only two weeks in the office,
You sent us all home with minimal notice.

The weeks that followed brought uncertainty and sorrow.
Thousands were dying, with little hope for the morrow. 
Yet we did not drown in the pessimism,
The black movement was forged in the fight against racism.

We brought joy to our lives with a lockdown bucketlist,
Had dinners, played games and zoomed those who we missed.
With lockdown came creation with a vegetable patch, 
For, this was not time to draw down the hatch. 
We built bridges, worked hard;
Sunbathed and laughed. 
Showed gratitude for the NHS
Set up offices at home, and all the rest. 

The summer months weren’t at all normal,
No flights, no events, not even a festival.
Through the quiet, we found amusement
adapting with bemusement.
Holidays remained within our island,
And reunions with friends kept us smiling. 

Autumn drew a different form of reality in London.
Groups of six, curfews and remnants of a viral burden. 
But still we had fun and made the most of the time together.
We learned how to live, whatever the weather. 

Yet Covid refused to cease,
Another lockdown was enforced with little ease.
We were well practiced and took it in our stride,
Incredibly lucky to have friends by our side. 
I ran miles and miles to find peace in the Storm 
This was not a time to wallow, more a time for reform.

December brought us a vaccine but also strict Tiers,
It mixed fear with festivities and takeaway beers. 
The virus may still be with us as 2020 draws to an end,
But if we’ve learned anything, it’s to face darkness with friends.