The Poetry Kit

HOME     POETRY KIT COURSES     SUBMISSIONS    CITN     NEWSLETTER     BOOKSHOP     BLOG

 

POETRY IN THE PLAGUE YEAR

Poems written during the Coronavirus Outbreak 2020

How to submit   -  Back to Contents

 

Stephen Beattie

Burscough, Lancs. UK.

 

Stephen Beattie lives in rural West Lancashire with his wife and inspiration, Nicky. His poetry has appeared widely in magazines and on radio. His two collections, 'Treading the Helix' and 'Between the Lines' are both published by Indigo dreams. He is a founding member of Southport Fringe writers.

 

Poem written 12/06/2020

 

 

Schools Out

 

 

Usually we only meet

other couples, sometimes

a family, sometimes a lone walker.

 

The routine always remains the same,

nervous smiles accompany polite hellos

as we pass in the recommended manner.

 

Not today.

 

Today a gathering of boy-men

lounge on the canal bank

as close to each other

as a clutch of hatchlings.

 

They drink bottled beer,

(corona of course),

pass round a communal joint

their mouths uttering meaningless oaths

punctuated by forced laughter.

 

They say nothing to us,

we say nothing to them

and we walk on,

 

because beneath their bravado

we sense their fear.