My Love is on a lifeline with no other place to go
She is out of time I’m not allowed to watch over her
As her lungs refuse to fight for oxygen anymore
Not even through a stingy piece of glass in a corner
No chance to help her fight that breathless terror
I am standing with the phone sweated to my ear,
Three shocked children stand in a saucer-eyed line
I listen to a nurse saying I’m oh so sorry my dear
Their Nan’s at social distance but can’t stop crying
She’s on lock-down, in her house across the road
Now I’ve got to tell her that her daughter’s dead
Not sure I can cope with that and my parental load
Carrying such grief churning round inside my head
Coronavirus stole into our lives, and cut us down
Muffled by distance padding like thief in the night
No farewells to loved ones gasping as they drown
We stay behind our doors; it stalks us in plain sight
Accept that life ahead has changed beyond belief
Like a grim reapers scythe it is so difficult to cheat
And all the gold on earth cannot buy us some relief
Oh lord how much longer standing naked in defeat.
A.McTiernan
