A Series of Vignettes during COVID-19

I

I am in a bubble.

And you?

Socially distanced?

No. My beloved.

My heart aches.

II

Greed breeds

mountains of desire;

the curve of love is

steady, generous,

attends only the needs

of today’s pocket.

III

Last week, crowds alive, such noise!

Now space

dissolves the heart,

takeaway air

serves an uneasy menu.

IV

A stranger’s list found in my shopping trolley!

Each letter elegant,

bold and poised, a fact.

I hope no item

was forgotten;

Love’s hand holding.

V

Our world shakes,

uncertain, fleeting.

The Spirit, timeless, steady, calm,

moving us into new inwardness;

a new now.

VI

So much crashing down. Emptiness.

What is real?

This light, this space,

this Spirit of Life

who leads us on.

VII

Streetscape changed, unfamiliar signs.

These roads hasten

new directions,

but am I travelling

in circles?

VIII

One day the world

skidded stop-still

and the little shop

stuck fast that point;

it’s merchandise

a receding backdrop.