Tuesday 20 October 2020

Tuesday poem - Playground Masks

A true faceless crowd
now amasses outside the gates
Milling for their timeslot
then pouring through when it hits
There's no room for two metres

A bit of shushing and almost shoving
despite all travelling the same way
A spirited dash to be first in the clump
To stand before all the others
To claim their child first

And then with only eyes to tell them apart
parents gather their flock
All mingling, laughing, joking, running,
talking, interacting beyond measures
Adhering to the one-way system

A narrow corridor flanked by gates
Filled with people
Staff members line entryways
Wishing muffled goodbyes
Encouraging the continual flow

Half a step out of the school grounds
Masked ripped from faces
Fresh air breathed
Gaggles of parents yacking
Clogging the COVID safe route

Bubbles of children grouped by year
Separated, sanitised and kept safe
All twirling and whirling together on exit
Seems like a measure of desperation
Keeping to code rather than solving the problem

But what to do?
Homeschool is hard work, too much pressure
Kids gotta learn
Herd immunity at work with all the bugs
And the germs and the nits


Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop.

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