Starting out with fear,
Not knowing what to do.
Trapped inside with each other,
Facing this whole form of new.

Trying out meditation,
Working out online.
Baking for the neighbours,
Whatever to kill some time.

Helpless when I'm needed,
Fearful of travelling to aid.
Family losing their minds,
No hugs to ease the pain.

Video quizzes in pyjamas,
Long walks in local places.
Can't spend time with my Dad,
But cross paths with many new faces.

Wobbly return to cycling,
Anything to get outside.
Quads and glutes on fire,
Building muscle on the ride.

Reading books and cooking,
Different meals with all this time.
Birthday wishes at 2 metres,
Wondering when meets won't be a crime.

Learning to wear a face mask,
Fogging glasses as you shop.
Getting dirty looks in the store,
That one time you forgot.

Stood too close to someone once,
Not that I had meant to try.
The way I got shouted at,
Made me leave the shop and cry.

Now that restrictions are lifting,
Strangeness at the crowds.
Where did all these people come from,
Were we always this loud?

Kids back out playing in the street,
Mental health has taken a beating.
We emerge slowly from our homes,
And still observe distances seating.

Back in pubs and restaurants,
But we still don't feel safe.
An invisible virus has crippled us,
Will we ever go back to old ways?

Will it ever feel ok to be,
The carefree people we once were.
It feels a long way away to me,
Even though we've got the cure.

Too many lives taken far too soon,
Too many families ripped apart.
But slowly, slowly, we'll find a way,
With this new normal in our hearts.