These times have been hard
Reading regulations
Installation of sanitisation
Adding things
Cancelling things
Changing things
Exchanging things
Putting things away
Taking them back out - we know more today.
Studying virology
Epidemiology
Crowd psychology
Eschatology
Hybrid services
With cameras overheating
The odd virtual meeting
While half say "it's nice doing face to face"
And others refuse to be in the same place
As anyone who's not triple-vaxed
Vacuum-packed
Shrink-wrapped
In HazMat
suits. You
wouldn't believe the scenes
Looking at countless Zoom screens
Then remembering on the third Wednesday it's Teams
Because Zoom fails to work
On Jenny's Chromebook.
Holding virtual hands
With the dying. Checking the latest rules
On hospital visiting.
Uncle Jim's funeral by the graveside
Because Aunty Joan won't go inside.
Wedding guests that won't go masked
No matter how nicely asked
Even with Grandma's condition
And the bride's dad's only in remission.
(And the changes to the Wedding Regs
Have left the minister running on the dregs
Of energy
And sanity
And stability
And mental agility.)
And no chance of rest
from the Lateral Flow Test.
Communion in the hand? On the tongue?
In the garden? Bring your own?
And the inside, outside, all the sides
In Covidtide.
People who worship in masks
Those who focus on irrelevant cleaning tasks
Those who are scared stiff by the news
Those so reckless, they're licking the pews.
Trying to discern
what is this normal to which everyone wants to return
So if the minister looks a little gray
at the Zoom Communion today
please don't think
it's your screen needs adjusting -
it's her colour balance on the blink.
It's been a long time.
And the minister is tired.
That she is, that she is
ReplyDeletebut grateful that others got tired with her.
Thank you!
Thank you, Archdruid; describes it perfectly.
ReplyDeletePrayers and tea lights.
Delete