Red Signs and Rainbows

Red signs and rainbows,
Nanna’s gone away,
Mum and Dad are stressed,
So many bills to pay,

Empty schools
Abandoned shops,
Empty playgrounds,
Broken hopes,

A fever dream,
Days drifting together,
Visiting hours closed,
Only memories last forever,

Daddy’s started drinking,
Mummy sleeps a lot,
Daddy’s getting angry,
Mommy’s lost the plot,

They are always here,
Adapt to the new norm
Survive till night,
Weather the storm.

Stuck in this house,
All is gone,
Nothing to do,
No place to mourn.

Flatten the curve,
Keep your distance,
Unemployment lines,
Struggling for subsistence.

Protesters amassing,
Ignoring science,
Just making it worse,
With their continued defiance.

Red signs and rainbows,
My child just wants to play,
He is going stir crazy
Every damn day.

Author’s Note: Everyone’s experience of lock-down is different. My heart goes out to the children and partners of abusers, to the families of loved ones who pass, to the kids struggling to make sense of it all, to the parents struggling to put food on the table and to everyone going a touch insane with so much time to fill.

We are currently not allowed to use playgrounds, and residents have taken to putting rainbows in their windows as a way to show solidarity with one another, as well as for a little game for the children as they walk past.

I took the following photos on my bike ride to and from my disability support work.