Back to School post Coronavirus – a poem

‘Twas the night before school
When all through the house
Not a creature was stirring except for this spouse!

Schoolbags sat by the front door with care
She had bathed the kids and blow dried their hair
Lunches were made and shoes had been shined
“I hope they don’t catch it” raced through her mind

The children were sleeping fast in their beds
With dreams of reunions with all their friends
Where classes are bubbles and tables are pods
Their safety in the hands of the “government gods”

When down in the kitchen arose such a clatter,
Husband ran down to see what was the matter.
Away to the kitchen he flew like a light
His wife sat crying at the table
he knew something not right
“I want them to go but I want them to stay
I want this bloody virus to just go away”

For the first time in months her bubble had burst
She thought she’d feel happier but now she feels worse
The ‘what-ifs’ were racing around in her mind
Her husband hugged her and tried to be kind

We’ve waited for this day for schools to reopen
But the mixture of change and fear had her quite frozen
She feigned a smile and sipped on her tea
And persuaded herself “I’ll have more time for me”

But six months has passed
The country none the wiser
Schoolbags now packed with masks and hand sanitizer

You might feel nervous or perhaps feel okay
To release your babies back to school today
But whatever you feel know it’s not for forever
We’ll get through this and we’ll get through together.