poetry

DATELINE: BROCKVILLE

TELEGRAM: Pining for Toronto — (STOP) — Pining for random guy mansplaining and eating tacos on the TTC — (STOP) — Pestering Brockville municipal election candidates on why there aren’t any Ethiopian restaurants in town — (STOP) — Inviting all Ontarians to the River City Reading Series, Saturday, September 24, 7pm in downtown Brockville at Medium Effort Art Supplies — (STOP)— Please stop — (STOP) — No, don’t stop — (STOP) — Never stop — (STOP)

I Miss Stage 1

I miss Stage 1

It was good fun

hanging in my jammies

having little nappies

in the afternoon

it went so soon

Grocery clerks were heroes

celebrities were zeros

you couldn’t see me

I had on homemade PPE

I miss Stage 1

I miss Stage 1

it was good fun

Unless you had Covid-19

Devastation not foreseen

Except by those in the know

Sounding the alarm

Of the virus’ great harm

Rest of us ate treats like fudge

Now we have pandemic pudge

But at least we’re still breathing

our babies now be teething

but we’re the lucky ones

we haven’t died from guns

we can login

sip bespoke gin

and be at work with no commute.

our shrunken lives we must compute

That’s why I Miss Stage 1

when everyone had fun

hanging out in jammies

having little nappies

Nature said Time out

you need to layabout

Let me have some rest

While I put you to the test

stay still

or I will kill

You.