That old ill wind now blows ever stronger,
Whilst the food bank queues grow even longer.
The furloughs and bailouts will all soon end,
But just like Viv we have to spend, spend, spend.
Look to the city, brokers do fiddle,
Watch as they play both ends against middle.
Someone just called for a giant hoover,
Covid, they said, is boomer remover.
Super superlatives fly from hip lips,
World beating software will solve our hardships
Privatised whiz kids on heightened day rates
Are new barbarians, there, at our gates.
Charging us fortunes for things that don’t work,
Ministers theive as they quietly smirk.

Harry Rogers, in The Red Bedroom, 23rd June 2020

Turn that old t-shirt into a face mask,
Get on train with The Beatles on your face,
Soon only a Dune Stillsuit fits the task,
Public transport now total smile free space,
Pubs get ready to open doors again,
Menus can be scanned onto your smartphone.
Without Android or Apple, well, what then?
No beers, no meals, carry on home alone?
Processed meat workers go down like ninepins,
Hairdressers ready to shear lock-down locks,
High street store windows sport clean mannequins,
Stock market braces for new fiscal shocks.
With secateurs and saw I start to prune,
Ain’t gonna be normal anytime soon!

Harry Rogers, In the Red Bedroom, 23rd June 2020.