Lockdown Lines

Lockdown Lines A creative response to the Coronavirus

Foreword During the early days of lockdown, I went for a daily run around Swanbourne Lake; a threemile circuit from my home which passes Arundel Castle and along Mill Road. One bright, sunny morning, which seemed completely at odds with the darkness caused by the impact of the coronavirus, I saw some yarn bombing on one of the trees. Attached was a poem of hope by Robert Browning: Home Thoughts From Abroad. This lifted my spirits and the generous yarn bomber struck a week later with Trees by Philip Larkin.

I decided to use these poems for a short series of lessons with my Fourth, Fifth and Upper Sixth classes once term started. In addition to the hopeful poems of Browning and Larkin, once the death toll exceeded 20,000 we also explored Funeral Blues by W H Auden and Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas. The poems and artwork in this anthology came out of that short series of lessons. They are bleak poems for bleak times but convey the extraordinary creativity of the students. One or two are frivolous - thank you U6 - but sometimes humour is the only approach to use when everything else overwhelms us.

This anthology reflects a very precise moment in time and I hope that you find some sentiments here which chime with your own. My thanks to Aradhya Soneja who worked with me on the project.

Joanne Clarkson May 2020

Yarn bombing: a type of graffiti or street art that employs colourful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn.

Cover - Joe Colton and Ben Isherwood.

The Smaller Picture Outside the room he sits, he waits and he trembles; The dissociation hits. Reality disassembles.

You think they're going to stay, that they're going to live forever, That they're always just invincible – that their life will never sever.

The ringing in his ears matches the ringing of the sirens, The scene flashes before his eyes, his pupils begin to widen.

"He's unresponsive!" "Sir, stay calm. Check his pulse first."

Holding his hand, his voice quivers, "please... please don’t get worse."

"The ambulance will be there; you've just got to wait five."

He whispers down the line, "please... please don't let him die."

So, that’s how he got here, sitting outside the room, Waiting and waiting, not knowing what to assume.

The telly above flickers, the irony stings him sore, Seeing, "The curve is flattening!" – of course the bigger picture matters more.

The pain of an individual is lost in a sea of death, The immense suffering of the families, yet, "condolences" is all they get.

Outside the room he sits, he waits and he trembles; Surrounded by noise, yet in silence: his fingers resting on his temples.

The door opens – the doctor steps out – what she says seems blurry: As tears meander down his face – all he remembers is: "We're sorry."

Aradhya Soneja

Troubled Times The smell of fear lingers in the air, But is this really fair?

Two metres apart, Yet this is only the start.

Only meeting friends and family on a screen

Watching, seeing, hearing people take their last breath.

Together the whole nation mourns, A constant reminder of the beast, That was born In some far flung corner of the East.

While we wait for a vaccine.

The death toll only rises

Yet while all this happens

Taking more and more every day,

The damage caused only deepens.

Everyone hopes it stabilises Before more pass away.

Worry runs deep throughout, Trying to find out if there is a way out.

Floods of tears roll

Trying to understand what's going on

And never ending pain begins

Before close family and friends are gone.

For those from whom Coronavirus stole.

Sadness ravages the nation

Yet even while getting buried under the hill

All because of this terrible creation, All around us pain and death

Matt Shaw

Only two can attend the funeral, To stop others from getting ill.

Hello, are you there?

Hello, are you there?

I think your video cut out.

Please I need someone to talk to I can’t bear being locked up in this house.

Anymore. I need a way out.

I feel lonely.

All these people in my house and I still feel lonely.

Messaging people on social media and I still feel lonely.

I just wanna see my friends when this ends.

I don’t wanna be alone.

But I don’t know.

It’s probably my mind getting the better of me Playing tricks on me while I’m stuck in this house I can’t leave.

“Sorry what did you say, your audio stopped working?”

Don’t worry.

Probably not worth it.

Freddie Brosnahan

Until tomorrow Dear best friend, Nothing we did we would ever regret And what I would do to have just one more day, One more day I would never forget One more day we could just play.

Bonds were made no one could sever, Inseparable since you entered my life aged seven.

You were my brother and will be forever I hope you’re coping up there in heaven.

Our friendship and memories will always be something to treasure, So please my brother, be free of pain You know my love for you is beyond measure I promise soon in heaven we will unite once again.

Not a day goes by I am not overcome with sorrow But rest in peace my brother, Until tomorrow.

Joe Dewar

20,000 Truck by truck, they process into an ice rink, or a mortuary?

hungry and upset, yet the bread winner has no bread.

They escape, swaddled dead stacked high.

And this is us lucky.

And this is us lucky.

Silence and isolation pierced Ditches ten foot deep, six feet wide, full.

By the cries of nature taunting,

Slumped bodies of those who have no one,

it struck us down and returned its animals to our homes.

the forgotten people of the world.

And this is us lucky.

And this is us lucky.

The window to the soul no longer eyes, The arteries of our metropolis

but a little perfect rectangle

desolate of their life blood,

And solely an image of our beloved.

their sanguine denizens holed up and locked away.

Is this us lucky?

And this is us lucky.

20,000 would've been lucky, What then is 26,771?

Millions and millions drifting, listless and trapped, infants crying

Matthew Warner

Poem for May Day: May Day 2020 Huddled but decidedly apart we stand, Darkness, pain, loss the mood, Candles and flowers littered across the land.

Just days prior, not far from here, we heard the joyful band, At this place a happy wedding we viewed, Yet none of this sorrow had been planned.

No bouquet of flowers held in her left hand, No wedding ring, which seemed now so crude Against the price which the disease did demand.

Ripped untimely from a now forever dreamland A nightmare now, she must conclude As far apart he now stands.

His face now given to the land The person, the man, the husband who’d Been part of the merry life she’d planned.

And as the day passed to a lonely night She reflected: no person did the potent danger exclude On no person did it bestow the right To have their moment, to avoid its plight.

Mattie Sutton

Corona Virus Acrostic Poem Coughing and struggling to breath Ordinary life drifts away as its Replaced by the confines of lockdown Only the most important may leave their houses.

Nothing but despair and hopelessness fills the nation in A pandemic that will change the world forever Volunteers emerge across the world to help In aiding our planet to withstand the Ruthless disease among us.

Unless we comply the rules Survival is doubtful

Ethan Berman

Funeral Blues by Andrew Zhang

Haikus Every person should Stay at home and not go out.

It's really not hard.

Please stay in your home, Only leave it once a day For a run or walk.

Don't meet any friends, Stay within your own household, Talk to them online.

Get things delivered.

If you can't then be sure to Maintain your distance.

Ollie Hall

Some Day From the East it spread across the world filling all with dread.

Unable to see it makes the pain unbearable to the point where one feels worse than terrible.

And what about the nurse who is desperate to stop the victim ending up in a hearse?

And what about the family who doesn't even have the option to see the casualty?

Is there a cure?

They say a vaccine is on the way but how can we be sure?

What if it's just a way to stop us losing all hope and is just giving us the belief to allow us to cope?

What is there to do except to just pray and hope that everything will be fine in the future, some day.

Thaquib Haque

What is Time?

I sit and watch as the wind blows I wait and watch but I can't see the plant grow So fast and yet so slow Life just comes and goes Tick tock time flows Wait and see but no one knows Before we know it comes to a close And we are left with nothing but thought alone All seems lost and nothing is known It's my turn, do I stay or do I go?

Did I make the most of everything that came?

Did I take more than I gave?

Did I look out for other people or do it for the name?

Then it all comes to a close And we live amongst The memories of others Until their time comes.

Tom Wright

Corona time Limericks Coronavirus swept the nation, Causing widespread economic stagnation, But as the pandemic grew, The people knew, That lockdown was not a vacation.

Billy Jordan

Bored, bored, bored.

I wish I could afford, To go outside to Havana, Or maybe Montana, But when I come back, Without a six-pack, Unfortunately, it might kill grandma.

Luke Grivvell

We are in this Together The recognisable sound of BBC news: "Good Evening." He says – "this is what you should do: Stay at home, you've got to sit tight, Protect the staff, the NHS need the right To not be overwhelmed and to simply save lives: This is what we shall do: yes, both you and I." So, we sit tight at home, we wait and we wait, But the cases are doubling, did we start too late?

Not enough equipment, not enough staff, "STAY AT HOME and we promise this won't last."

The death toll hits daily, the economy just stopped.

Domestic violence rises, loneliness – lives are lost.

The care homes are hit, the nation seems to crumble, "PROTECT THE NHS and this pandemic is just a minor rumble."

So, we wait and we wait for all our daily briefings, We cling on to hope, yet our sanity is leaching.

But everyone knows that we're in this together: "So, remember to SAVE LIVES and enjoy the good weather."

Aradhya Soneja

The Careful Path Ahead Almost three months of eternity, we've all been trapped at home; Anticipating the moment, this pandemic goes and we can roam; The speech is played on telly, as we sit - we wait - we watch; To see the measures outlined, what we can do - what we cannot; His face is painted serious, yet words of hope he speaks; "The rate of infection is now below one, thanks to the efforts of both you and me;" He talks about a plan, a way to escape this war; A potential path to see the life, the one we used to adore; This life is now attainable, it's now a light at the end; But this new path needs to be careful, lest we accidently overextend; This new plan will be flexible, a system from one to five; An indication to inform us, the pace we return to our lives; With measures slowly easing, former liberties we can assume; But we still must maintain two metres, else the lockdown shall resume; This reopening of society, prompts a motto newly revised; To "STAY ALERT," "CONTROL THE VIRUS," and this will now "SAVE LIVES.�

Aradhya Soneja

When Lockdowned When lockdowned, With time to pass, Bake tarts And laugh, Do arts and crafts But don't forget, With bog roll sparse, To raid the stores, For your clean arse.

When lockdowned, If you are now So keen to learn it, That recipe books, Were made for worship, Please call out, For rice and chips, I can't come round, For your turnips.

When lockdowned, I've been in here For thirty days I will not be More entertained By your brie cheese Or your board games I'd rather sit Inside and pray For the f*****g end of Lockdown days.

Henry Spence

COVID-19 Haikus.

I – The beginning

A nightmare of the nation Will it ever end?

A storm is brewing, Media turns a blind eye

Lonely as a cloud,

Deaf to tragedy.

Stuck in a sea of boredom Unable to move.

Behind the constant Cloak of both trade and travel,

III – The light

Silent, the virus toils.

Eventually Rare pricked ears begin,

Us resilient humans

To unfold the tapestry

Will find a vaccine

Of despair. Too late?

Finally, we all II – The tragedy

Unaccustomed to the world Run, wary, through our doors

Thousands. Thousands gone, The virus tears us apart

Together at last

A world of struggle.

Friends, families united At last – we are free.

An introvert’s dream,

Moog Clyde, Oli Rathmell and Alex Mitchell

Cobbled Together Disjointed days ungainly string themselves into weeks, fear filling the gaps left behind.

Confusion is the order of the day, Attacking the heart, the soul, the mind.

Mystery is everyone’s new lockdown ‘buddy’, No-one knowing what signifies the end Cobbling together our lives, Day by day our community loses yet more air, Yet through is comes a stubborn obstinance, A defiant cry that pierces the darkness, Stronger than applause, More genuine than our smiles whilst walking by.

Behind our new hobbies, things to do, Our applause, our smiles, There is a yet more potent drug, One that does not cure but sustain.

Despite seeing the world through our lens, That becomes more clouded by the day, We won’t give up, nor give in, for together we will stay.

Mattie Sutton

Draining away The motivation drains away each and every day From doing exercise outside To cooking a chilli con carne.

Walking without an apparent aim Like I am a pawn in a chess game.

But at home I join the army In the war taking place worldwide.

The motivation drains away each and every day From online lessons where we finish the course, To eating at a rate as when a barcode is scanned And having to watch slowly as my waistline expands.

Because anything else feels like flogging a dead horse.

The motivation drains away each and every day Watching old films again and again on repeat Because moving a muscle begins feel like a feat.

The motivation drains away each and every day.

Matt Dodds

Untitled And one sunny day a man ate a bat, The next month a pandemic was tit for tat.

As the unknown killer rapidly spread, SARS and H1N1 moved out of their stead.

Now as I write this in my dressing gown, The whole world is being broken down.

The Government begs us to stay inside, Whilst they let the crisis slip aside.

Alexander Atkinson

Untitled For weeks on end we pushed it aside Thinking it would never abide In the comfort of our own home Just watching from our observation dome Although it soon became close Meanwhile the media became engrossed Unrelenting, uncontrollable, unfathomable It started taking lives, double As everyone is 'huddled' inside our dwellings We are all trying to take our bearings Of where the virus will go next, hopefully not on our front doorstep!

When this pandemic is all over All will be happy, per contra It will be another whole generation Before things will finally be in normal operation

Ben Isherwood

Virulent Void It shreds, it rips, it tears.

Its mortal soul clings on for life, Slowly dropping, it despairs.

Deep cuts the blade, the silent knife, Deep into hope, hope of repair.

It struggles to hold on to hope.

Skin crawling, mind racing, Its weakened body tries to cope.

The web holds, interlacing Humanity at the end of the rope.

It knows its fate; it knows its time.

It only wishes to finally pass, Hoping for release sublime.

Then with body, fragile as glass, Into the void it starts to climb.

Aaron Venter

By Aaron Venter

Lockdown Lockdown is a scary time, It has really put me into a bind.

Cornered in my bedroom's gloom, Missing the outside's sunlight bloom.

Stranded from my family, It is taking away my sanity.

Grannies and grandads can't see me, But safety really is the key.

Watching movies on Disney plus, Stops us making such a fuss.

Darkness spreads across the world, Yet nothing can stop its grow.

Once all this seizes to an end, I hope I don't meet my end.

We look back and cherish the thought, Of the lessons we learnt and the ones we taught.

Arnav Gupta

We wake up every morning We wake up every morning, Same again, same again.

This discriminatory virus keeps people falling While we ask the same monotonous question.

When, when shall this hell end?

Every day the number of cases are doubling All because of the government's fumbling.

Grieving families all around the country Struggle to keep anything in the pantry.

Yet we keep whatever hope we have left, As we begin the search for a cure.

We listen closely to the daily briefing and the hope that was kept Is all lost. They had us all lured In. Instead the same depressing figures, Speeches, economic struggle.

When, when shall this hell end?

Josh Amor

Untitled I never thought this time would come How did we miss this mum Now you are lying in a hospital bed Because Covid-19 has spread Now the world has gone to sleep There is nothing left to eat Salvation comes with a truck To bring us food deluxe No more people on the streets Everyone sitting in their seats Now the world outside has become so desolate Yet I'm writing from inside.

I started with regret and sadness To show the reader the bad things.

Rhyming couplets to make it flow salvation is used to show That the good things in this world Can come in the simplest of things.

Tyron Anderl

Coronavirus Sleep.

Sleep.

Just a bit more sleep.

UP, UP, UP. Up. Bathroom.

Shower. Relax.

Coffee, food, clothes, laptop, phone, password, book.

Morning sir.

Work, break.

Work, break.

Food. Exercise?

Work.

Close the book and look at the warm afternoon light streaming through the window.

Rise from the chair and stretch animatedly.

Plod gently up the stairs, turn on the light and change clothes.

Time for a run.

10, 20, 30 minutes.

Breathing.

Return. Open back gate and glide through the house.

Escape sweat-clogged clothes to warm, dry, soft bliss.

Screens again.

Night.

No escaping the dark.

Seb Angove

Untitled We're all at home, In isolation, Leading all of us slowly, Into desolation.

School's cancelled, Lessons are online, Missing our friends, That we saw each day on the train line.

Doing whatever we wanted, It was fun at first, But that has all worn off, As my personal bubble just keeps getting burst.

Coronavirus, you've taken so much, Hidden our loved ones from our touch, Cancelled our plans and trips away, As we're stuck in our home where we have to stay.

Shuayb Hussain

Lockdown Corona virus is the culprit Has us all barricaded at home No light at the end of the tunnel Holding onto sanity with worn fingers.

Boredom has well set it now It holds many as prisoners Plumping up its victims Through endless consuming snacks Wandering aimlessly and mindlessly Prisoners to nothing Loneliness invades like a chill winter Freezing one’s mind and body Into endless sleep and negativity Social interactions gone Vanished into thin air Missing friends and lovers It is hard to escape Yet, there is light at the end of the tunnel Have we turned a corner?

We could be out soon A firmer grip on hope now.

Joseph Simms

Don't worry, be happy When all seems so dark, We need to find the light.

When all seems so wrong, We need to make it right.

Through these tough times, Through thunder, wind and hail.

If we find things that make us happy, I'm sure we will prevail.

If we stay at home and don't go out, We won't have the chance to be ill.

So while we have the time, Do some decorating, or learn a new skill.

While everyone is feeling down, Do something good that will impress, Like Captain Moore from Yorkshire, Who has earned over ÂŁ29 million for the NHS. So while we're stuck at home with our families, Let's try not to get snappy.

Find things that we love to do, So that we can all stay happy.

Robbie Timberlake

Protect the NHS by Robbie Timberlake

Sonnet for Coronavirus Alone, nowhere to go or to talk to The days of freedom, taken for granted Are distant memories in the chaos Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

For the public are already rumbling, Rumbling for change, for the normality That we once considered normality, That we know not if or when to expect.

But words from the government encourage, Echoes of wartime speeches: We will win!

Hailing of the workers who have not stopped Amidst the disorder and the discord.

This brutal virus will be defeated, By staying in careful isolation.

Alex Brook

Stay home, stay safe New year, new me Ignorant of calls from afar Saying "Stay home, stay safe" Time goes on 2020 is going to be the year Yet still, I can hear "Stay home, stay safe" With March comes whispers.

Whispers of something unavoidable Whispers that say "Stay home, stay safe" Life still goes on Nothing can stop me But those closer also begin to shout "Stay home, stay safe" The words hit hard, Widespread panic sets in Yet these words still ignored "Stay home, stay safe" Twenty-three days on, the whispers turn to shouts The words can be heard from house to house As the Prime Minister says "Stay home, stay safe" Yet is this all too little too late?

Louis Wilby

The Corona Attack A red thunderous family blames the virus Four, all clashing colours, vent about the virus Under the guise of the virus they use venom To attack the interhouse alpha virologist.

Facts are figures but are not believed, Confusion results in a loss of lead This virus, unknown, starts to seed In the mind of all filled with mead.

The root begins to grow, As the quarrels begin to sow And bicker, fight, relentless crimson As the rest have become heavily stricken.

Now their vital organs are black, Dispersed to the rest starting at a plaque The trauma from the seed never goes back To the seed of the spread - the Corona attack Dom Dalloz

By Dom Dalloz

When the Outbreak Started On a beautiful autumnal morning, a single drop of water paused and then, urged on by nature, dissipated and rose, ever rising 'til it stopped. Patiently waiting as more dissipated, rose, waited. Dissipate, rise, wait. Gathering a storm.

Then slowly; drip, drip, drip. Drops here and there. A sprinkling of bones, the first victims in a biblical flood as the gentle pitter-patter of the feet of lost souls picks up pace under the gate of hell.

For the first had been cursed twice over - by incompetence and then by isolation.

Alone yet not lonely they fade deep into the realms of hell.

Gathering size, gathering pace scything 'cross the globe plucking sheaf after sheaf of grain from the earth which doth give it nutrients.

The pitter-patter turns to a roar as the living watch idly, helplessly.

Alone yet not lonely the others await their judgement day.

Joe Colton

Untitled Humans work day and night, Whether in dark or in light.

Working, spreading detestation From ground to sky.

Sharp tender destruction.

Willingly weeps people of Earth Waiting to cure, an incurable curse.

Ben Carpenter

Piccadilly Line by Amardip Ahluwalia