Masked Canary Emoticons In The Coal Mine

train announcement..

if you are not wearing a face covering

you may be fined up to one-thousand pounds..

well..
i think that is not nearly enough
call me old-fashioned but i believe
you should also face a firing squad
but only after you have paid your fine
and if you refuse to pay your one-grand fine
you should face two firing squads
just so you clearly get the message
it can be cruel to be kind..

do you want this poem to catch the thing
do you madly suffer metrophobia malady
have you sanitised your hands
have you sanitised your screen
have you sanitised your sanitiser
well the sanitiser cannot sanitise itself..

have you sanitised your eyes
your thoughts your emotions
your fears your aims your wishes your plans
your beliefs your dreams your nightmares
your screen emoticons..

all your ubiquitous canary-coloured emoticons
must also wear the mask
masked canary emoticons in the coal mine
smiling
           behind the mask..

we are all in this together
we
and who be this we..

we are all in this together
this
so what is the nature of this this
what is this this that we are all in together..

we are all in this together
together
who is together
together doing what
and why..

so steal my mask from my cold dead hands
call me the covid charlton heston
i shall mask my masked face
over my already masked face
call me a man of double mystery
the mister mysterymystery man..

mirror mirror
who is that masked masked man
thinking of the mask manufacturers here
for i do not want them furloughed
mirror mirror
i shall place a mask over my reflection
mirror mask reflection..

i am together here with myself with mask manufacturers
praying for that second wave to manifest
hey let us surf that second wave together
riff-off to dick dale or beach boys or stan getz
perfect music to surf the second wave..

let us surf together
second wave bosa nova
the masked girl from ipanema..

Tall and tan and young and lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes
I smile – but  I don’t know if she sees me
Because she is also wearing a mask, social distancing...

social distancing – what a world-beating oxymoron that is

real quality and heft to that one..

wait comrade i have more gifts for you..
coronavirus - more positives
crashing cascading waves of job losses abound
it has made many of us even more mistrusting anxious and depressive
there has been a huge increase in domestic violence too

blamed not so much on the virus
but the lockdown
words have meaning ~ lockdown..
and a lockdown is not domestic violence..

now imagine if someone had told you last year
aside ~ we all have at least one nostradamus in our lives ~ i am the one in mine
that 2020 would be the year of planetary lockdown
what would you have thought..

where entire industries would be smashed to bits
with small businesses crushed
where obesity and alcoholism would steeply rise
with children locked in like abused pets
big pharma would do really well
what would you have thought..

and what would you think
if your nostradamus now let slip to you what will happen in 2021..

and how many times has someone asked you
what you think will happen next..
oh and how did you answer them
you are among friends here so do not worry..

there is something going on around here
do you know what it is mister zimmerman
go on write another song about jfk
i look forward to also hearing your latest thoughts
         on the assassination of arch duke ferdinand
you brave brave man..

and remember
we are all in this together
we we are together together..

mainstream covid-19 poetry
is almost as insightful and uplifting as post-9/11 poetry
....we were all in that together
the neo-con love-in
and we all loved one another bombing iraq
we should have banged some pots and pans then
and clapped in the streets
like performing seals
i knew something was missing when we bombed iraq together ~ pots and pans..

at least this time many clapped
and they were dismayed at those who did not
what is wrong with them they shrieked
are we all in this together together or what..

to simply ask a question
has now become a revolutionary act
my unasked for advice to you
whatever you say say nothing
instead press your mask against the mirror
read the vapour steam signals
then put your lips together and breathe away the mirror..

searching for truth for love
the love of truth..
perhaps that is what fear fears most..

atmospheric wars
the dam quakes
the bough breaks
as gently weightless as a thousand atomic bombs
the human ocean a salt plain of teardrops..

so allow me to ask you
what do you think will happen next
share your thoughts transmitted through masked steam signal emoticons..