Another year of lockdown is over
Twelve months of unspeakable surprises
And weary weeks of isolation.
Close to twelve months
Of wearing assorted masks
And frenzied washing of hands
Even as we are threatened
With new variants of the virus.
It was a year
When the churches turned empty
Of devout worshippers.
It was a year
Of deserted schools.
Of deserted theaters.
And empty shopping malls.
It was a year
Of living on food packs
Sardines and noodles.
Those were months
Of live streaming.
Artists performing
In the privacy of their abodes
And getting applause
All at the same time
From all over the world.
Those were months
When millions lost jobs
And went hungry
With many left
To beg in the streets.
Those were months
When the poor and their hungry children
Were magnified many times over
On prime-time television.
It was in one of those months
A hungry mother of four
Died while waiting for a ride home
That never materialized.
True
TV viewers have never seen
So many desperate people
In so many places
In the city
And beyond.
A blind tenor sang in an empty cathedral
After recovering from the virus
Which he kept from the public
Until later.
A pianist performed
Her last Mozart in Ohio
And a last Bach in Seattle.
It was the last New Year concert
In Germany
For a brilliant tenor.
His first and last ringing Donizetti in Manila
And saying goodbye
To Traviata
And Romeo and Juliet
In Germany.
And another cancelled
Debut at Concertgebouw.
It was the year
Of strange kindness
From the government.
The streets were suddenly turned
Into long queues
Of the poor and the hungry.
It was a year
Of stranded commuters
Living under skyways
After cancelled flights
To nowhere.
t was a year
When overseas countrymen
Lost jobs
And turned to
Scavenging for food
In the streets of Abu Dhabi.
It was a year
When some public servants
Were unmasked
In the house of the people.
On the last night of June
TV Images went blank
As audiences
Watched the last evening news
Of a major network.
Gone were public interest
And replaced by private cunning
In support of lord and master
In the Palace.
And then the ogres came
With their share
Of greed and avarice.
It was a year
Of horrible storms
And recurring floods
Sending people
On the rooftop
Waiting for swirling waters
To subside.
It was a year
Of helplessness;
Even more so
Of a seemingly helpless leader
Given to absurd soliloquy
In the dead of night.
It was close to
365 days of dreary solitude
And horrible ineptitude.
It was time for self-reflection
For the blessings
As well as the vagaries
Of fate.
It was a year
When we barely made it
Through the night.
It was a year
When we lived through
Partings without proper farewell.
All over the world
Millions rested in peace
Sent off by prayers
On their last journey
Unto the stars.
* * *