Guide to the Galaxy

The royal mint’s making visors in their millions
A decade back we bailed out banks, not nurses
So now our government has made us wartime civilians

Technology is a bandaid but it can’t improve us
we’re still primates, hairless defenceless homo sapiens
brought to our knees by a virus

With no football no racing no golf
No Glastonbury festival no Olympic Games
No mass gatherings where we can meet and cough

No driving no malingering no contact
No exercise away from the home
No testing no handle on the stats

No school trips no playdates no birthday teas
No marathons no adventures no maps
No ventilators no PPE

No PM’s speeches no signings no shows
No gigs no cafes no bars
No online shopping windows

No, we’re not Sweden or Denmark or Ireland
Herd immunisation is abandoned
No NHS clinician left in retirement

No Pilates no yoga no spinning
No parties no dancing no crowds
No member of the cabinet left standing

No white-tie orchestra no babysitters no dates
No office workers no working lunches
No hospital beds just expo centres in their place

No lessons no lectures no libraries
No exams ‘it’s not a holiday’ no jobs
No weddings no funerals no goodbyes

But plenty of death
They tell us there’ll be plenty of death


No suitcases in the hall
No singing in the cathedral
No space in the morgue

No pilots no chefs no planes
No taxis no buses no lifts
No hitch hikers

No guide to the galaxy.


© Kathryn Davies March 2020