Paint Chip Poetry Prompt #15
It’s week 15 of the Paint Chip Poetry prompt, and the end of week 4 of many people in Oregon working from home because of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “we’re all in this together” more than once over the past few weeks. Imagine my surprise when that very phrase is what I pulled for our paint chip poetry theme this week!
It’s up to you whether you write on a pandemic theme or go a totally different direction. Perhaps you want to write about marriage and family life. That certainly warrants a “we’re all in this together” attitude. Or maybe you want to write about a jungle safari or an old-fashioned camping trip. The options are limitless.
Well, except they are limited by the fact that you need to use at least four of the following words or phrases: nest, champagne, corn maze, left field, gold medal, moonstone, and night.
My Poem
Here’s my poem. And as much as I’m already tired of talk of coronavirus and social distancing, some of these words just cry out to be in a pandemic-related poem.
Pandemic Blues
Life was plugging along
From here to there and home
Like a day in a corn maze
Trying to make my way
Then out of left field
Came the news of a crisis
This time it’s not Isis
But a microscopic virus
Word went out to isolate
Like birds in a nest
To take time and rest
But work at home if you can
For some it is now dark as night
Stuck faraway without a flight
Others sent home with no job
Or lost a loved one and sob
Some turn to moonstone
Seeking strength and new dawn
A solution to the chaos
The sadness and fear and loss
There will be a gold medal
For the one with the mental
Aptitude to create a vaccine
Or a cure for this crazy disease
I’d like to think when it’s over
I’ll invite friends for a stopover
We’ll drink some champagne
To celebrate or drown the pain
But still I know for sure
Life changed will endure
We’ll never quite be the same
I’ll still call on God’s holy name
Your Turn
Okay, it’s your turn to be creative. Find a use for at least four of the prompt words to describe something we’re all in together. Post your poem in the comments, or post it on your own blog and put a link in the comments.
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Excellent! I love your repeating refrain of we’re all in this together.
Thanks. I’m not entirely convinced that this week’s theme was a completely random draw of the cards.
Okay, to be completely honest, I randomly pick these 4 weeks at a time, meaning I pick a set, take a picture, out them in the used pile, them pick another set and so on. Of the 4 sets I picked last week, this might not have been the first, but the words with the prompt were definitely random.
We’re All In This Together
From out left field, the virus it struck
Not a normal flu season, it reeks of bad luck
It’s not a question of who, what, or whether
The simple fact is we’re all in this together
All sports put on hold, even the ones we hold dear
There will be no gold medals at the Olympics this year
Players, coaches, and fans must all take a breather
Sport shows are now reruns, we’re all in this together
“Shelter in place” and “social distancing” the new phrases
Unemployment websites are trickier than corn mazes
The boredom strikes many like endless bad weather
Don’t blame your housemate, we’re all in this together
The fear can be real but try as you might
Sleep tight in your nest to get through the night
The burden now heavy will soon seem like a feather
Stay calm and have patience, we’re all in this together
When the lockdown is lifted, we can all start anew
Like a moonstone new beginnings will come into view
We’ll pop the champagne and celebrate with fervor
Emerging much stronger because we’re all in this together
A serious subject needing a serious reply!
Lockdown
Now is the time
To give mixing a rest
Every household
Becoming like a nest
Where books may be
Reread at leisure.
Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone
Might bring new pleasure
As we spare a thought
For workers day and night
Who keep us safe and well.
A gold medal should be their right
Not just a handclap.
Foretell the ending if you are able,
And look forward to friends
Eating round your table.
Nice one. Thanks for joining in.
https://mehflowers.wordpress.com/2020/04/10/precarious-borders/