2020 Vision

At the turn of the year, the heavy load

Bluntly approaching the end of the road

So, we duly rallied, as we saw fit

For his final months. Seeking the best of it

January

Remembering that skyline over London Bridge

Hospital panoramic, jagged windowed ridge

Listened to gospel, dissected life story

Though moistened eyes, his former glory

The grave headlines, advanced from the East

Via tabloid to broadsheet, virus released

Embryonic stages, spreading whispers

A byproduct of a flu-like winter?

February

The waves lashed, the Kentish shoreline

Against our attic enclave, to align

On circumstances, and when to prepare

How much grisly suffering can one bear?

Catharsis came during Karneval

Where the streets regaled, an arsenal

Of costumes, characters, an escape

From what was to follow, sombre malaise

March

Clients tensely tightened their purse strings

Events cancelled. "See what next month brings?"

The shut down, this plague had descended

Lively London stood still, suspended

In need of medical assistance and care

PPE, the only acronym saviours' would wear

His final words imbued with love, to me

Where his soul finally met his body

Twelve hours later, my house completed

My life possessions loaded on pavements, defeated

The gloom of the news, lockdown was there

Five days in bed, the shock and the fear

April

She arrived! I am not needlessly alone

Save messages pouring via the iPhone

Skant walls to strip bare, paint to layer

The history of late Victorian prayer

Clients vexed, “Coroni” was setting in

Working from home, an incessant 24/7 din

"We’re letting go of our senior staff,

You’re the first, you surely won’t be the last!"

May

A weird working status. Hello furlough!

Reaching, pouring that vintage Merlot

What can I do? Head down to study

I'm eight years old, brain cells are muddied

Seemingly translucent and ever-unclear

Coped with grief, wiped away tears

Open University, a boost received

True calling noted, underachieved

June

Five remote interviews, oh success!

Dressed up boldly in my tartan dress

That Amazon guy beating down my door

The boxes plentiful, lining the floors

Coroni’s wrath, abated in summer sun

'Tis the season for some frivolous fun?

Companionship, hugs and parkland adventures

Berlin contract signed, sex tech venture

July

I have arrived in Cologne! Viel Spaß!

Open restaurants and tingling grass

We reminisced. Laughed on the Ferris Wheel

We gulped down on the greenest pill

I must go, adieu, time for the meeting

His university friend, Norsk greetings

To the Dog Island, where we could share

And raise a full glass, isn't life unfair?

August

What was this, and what was going on?

My feelings were stirred, was something wrong?

She’s my Viking goddess. I’m in trouble!

Must think hard, back to support bubble

To Ithaka next, the bountiful rays

Odysseus’ path, the labyrinthine maze

Final destination? Part of the journey?

Back to Bermondsey. I need an attorney!

September

I had to let go, stepping away from disgust

She trashed my home. She betrayed my trust

Berlin, you called. To Tegel, I went fast

Toiled tenaciously. Pausing the past

Lonely nights, and drawn out working hours

Cancelled flights. Kiez to Kiez. Chilly showers

In der Kuche, like a true Ostberliner

Struggling to see in that dusty mirror

October

Passive aggressive, Machiavellian

Did I have enough in the tank for rebellion?

Synced and bluetoothed, the throes of passion

The logistics of lovers’ time rationed

I persevered. Did what I had to do

To keep it alive, the symbiosis of two

Hearts beating, fiercely, side by side

Only borders breached the frosty divide

November

Berlin, you were over. My role phased out

Ill with tonsillitis, unable to shout

Confused colleagues, a call from his boss

To apologise ardently, counting costs

Of a man buoyed by ego. Vanity!

Bullied as a child, driven by greed

Nor manager nor leader, sound the alarm

Back to cooler climes, Nordic open arms

December

We had a routine, an ebb and a flow

We collaborated, loved and we could grow

Coroni returned, his force relentless

Now back to Blighty, his danger is scentless

To meet my nephew, life amidst death

A miracle mitzvah, of a baby’s breath

Now here I type, on this New Tier’s Eve,

Digesting the year, my heart on my sleeve.

Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.

2021.