The ease of a safety net (the Eton pass go straight to Mayfair club) - or, an A-level catastrophe

The ease of a safety net

The steel cable from below 

seems taut and secure

to the crowds who gawp up,

incredulous, mouths agape,

there perhaps for the spectacle

or, sadistically, awaiting a fall.

The walker, high above them all

treads precipitously;

each step one closer to the edge,

forever in the balance.

The risk: to plunge

without a safety net.

                            The walker; brave entrepreneur defying destiny

                                in a world where most of his kind is sure

                                    never to hit the chastening ground.

                            Rather, to relax in the elastic threads of a million dollar blanket;

                                 Grand Theft Auto “get out of jail free”.

                            They tell you to spread your wings,

                                  follow your calling,

                                      so confidently.

                             For some, it’s easy.

For the rest: tentative steps.

A bold misjudgement could spell bankruptcy

without the bank of mummy and daddy.

The fleeting summer

 Another summer passes by,

this one so fleetingly

yet I see them pile into bars

and queue, toe-to-toe,

maskless.

I think of my friend

whose mother passed away

and I wonder -

have they ever felt loss?

do they have no-one,

even themselves,

for whom they care?

Show you care

All we were asked was this:

For the vulnerable, for the elderly... Wash your hands. Cover your face. Keep your distance. Show you care.

Too much, for the steaming libertarian.

Imagine, for a moment, living a life already impinged upon, restricted, forgotten - now to truly understand the level of contempt with which your life is regarded.

Imagine being churlish enough to complain of restricted freedoms, unattainable for those who we might, kindly, protect.

Every mask unworn means another day of isolation for those who never had a choice.

Wash your hands. Cover your face. Keep your distance. Show you care.