I wrote this poem last July, shortly after the first lockdown began to open up. The acting college where I had been teaching voice part time prior to lockdown invited me to come back into the studio to teach, and I didn't consider it safe—for myself, or for the students—so I declined. It occurred to me that I would almost certainly never be offered such work again. I had been extremely lucky to have kept on teaching at the tertiary level for as long as I had, well into my 70s.
Thoughts on ageing weren't new to me. But this seemed more pressing, especially with all the understanding by that stage that anyone over 80 was especially vulnerable to Covid-19. When 80 is only 4 years away, and those years are accelerating by faster than a Formula 1 car driven by Jensen Button, it feels like tomorrow.
Hence this poem.
It was published in October 2020 as part of the collection "Sunsets & Kites", which is available from Amazon online.
Enjoy! And stay safe.
Image courtesy @gsultangeorge
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