Peter W. Keeble
Harrow, London

Peter Keeble is the author of a recent collection of poems, Passengers, published by Dempsey & Windle. Previous runner-up in the Strokestown poetry competition and longlisted in the Poetry Society's National Poetry Competition.

Date poem was written 3rd August 2020

 

OUR NEW WAY OF LIVING

We arrive one by one,

not knowing what to expect -

or what is expected -

thrown in, head coming up as if from a ducking.

Some already there are fixing things, so they say,

while others fall in line with the habits

already established to handle our dealings.

At least we are safe inside these little boxes,

sealed and stacked up in our own places,

neighbours on each side, above and below,

secure with our secrets and feelings.

When we wish to explain our point of view,

waving an enlarged hand or coughing discreetly,

we do not know who decides whether we may speak.

With no masks only our faces hide what we think -

I have never seen anyone cry

and maintain this as my principal goal.

Once my words elongated and slurred.

It is then you are expelled,

told you must somehow sort yourself out

then apply for re-admission from the cold.

At length we see that, as with real lives

from the time before,

these screens have no stories, tell no neat narratives,

they’re just separate little boxes each with their own hell.

Towards the end of our allotted time

I begin to doubt what really lies behind the faces I see,

and even though I search through the mysterious keys

all I can do is signal applause or smile

and hope myself to receive tributes such as these.

Though I never saw a hand

reaching for the switch,

with no hint of a glitch,

the little boxes vanish

and I am thrown back

to the four walls

staring into the dark.