Corona Diaries

Valerie “…I decided to write a Haiku. Then, I thought I’d set up a family group for a haiku a day.”

Background Information Female, aged 65-74, Psychotherapist, South London, White, Widowed, Two Adult Children.

March, April and May 2020 Haiku a Day in Lockdown Times Just after lockdown started, when I was signed off sick from work anyway, the sun was shining, my migraine was finally gone. I was enjoying my morning cup of tea, so I decided to write a Haiku. Then, I thought I’d set up a family group for a haiku a day. Members: Me, Valerie (V) - South London My Mother, Edna (E) - Gloucestershire My Aunt, Cece (C) - North London My Cousin, Lauryn (L) - North London (The men in our family are not so interested in words)… Morning tea haiku, 26th March 2020 Hmm, tea. Warm and wet Rich tan, comforting, lovely The first cup is best! Day #1 of the group- V. Sun streams in today illuminating patterns. Warm on brick and floor. L. Garden is sunny My heart is full to brimming My head is mashed E. Sun shines on cut grass Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Cherry blossom falls

C. Dog sleeps on settee C. is struggling with Whats App. Got to go and pee!! Day #2 E. Boris has it now. What will we do without him? Covid 19 rules! V. Blossom blowing in. Great gusts of wind. Sitting with agitated mind L. Grey and windy skies. Something is brewing ahead We cannot know what. C. Meeting is over. The washing machine is on. Time to unwrap the parcels Day #3 L. To nourish is good, So why doesn’t it feel good? Because patterns live. E. Venus is shining The crescent moon is smiling It can’t all be bad V. Nature gets a break a humans told STAY AT HOME What change will emerge? C. Cold windy morning Back to winter we return

Will the Heath be saved? Day #4 E. Covid 19 shows we are in this together Will it wake us up? V. Hands washed, red, raw, sore. Quarantine not yet a bore but it’s gaining weight. L. and P. (almost 6), on the trampoline- Bouncing in the air You’ll see birds when you look up. Fly high in the sky C. Techno overwhelm. Emails and Whats App and more. Going quite crazy! Day #5 E. Windy gusts blow in. Blow out again leaving calm My heart too finds ease. V. Train trundles. Cars whoosh. Sun still shining its spring light into empty nest. L. Paint goes on old walls covering up memories. It’s time for the new. Day #6 E. First bluebells out. Chaos and fear all around. Spring is not locked down.

V. Meow! Where’s our food?! “Here it is, sorry I’m late” Crunching, purring loud L. Paint, work ,cook, worry. We are in for the long haul. Don’t forget to play Day #Seven E. C. where are you? Under a sea of emails? Come back to us soon. V. Coronavirus! Economy on its knees. Life on hold; how long? L. A small amount of work before the Easter break The strange “holiday.” Day #8 V. *Lucky’s gentle snores Satisfied sighs, fill my heart Calm my breath, soothing. E. Mist gently rising. The five valleys empty now, save for sheep grazing. L. and P. The streets are quiet. Weird feeling in my left leg. Feeling tired now Day #9 V.

Bird song crescendos sounding out of syllables. A frame for strange days E. Hedges blossom white Spring brides but weddings cancelled This won’t last forever. L. Stay inside they say incarcerating my mind. Tempting is the sun. C. Sun shines on garden. Must get the lawnmower out Spring finally sprung. An extra one from V. (while out for a walk with Lucky) Mum, your dog is slow, sniffing and dawdling today. On our way home now! Day #10 E. Daughter has arrived. Settling into new routine Feeling calmer now. V. Views over valley. Blue sky, space opening up. Thoughts lighter now L. Forgot my haiku. One day weaves into the next. It’s suffocating. Day #11 C. It rained and it rained And then the sun shone brightly

and the earth dried up. E. Parking not allowed at the Common now Long walk. Was worth it! V. Nothing to do, but Everything to do, oh no! Hard to still my mind. L. Everything stands still Mother Earth is healing now. She sighs, relieved. Day #12 E. Sun is shining bright Spring is bursting everywhere Time to plant new seeds. V. Sorrow floods in with The Spring morning sunlight, grief Suddenly sore, raw. C. Pink moon is hidden Rosa barks at passing fox And squats to do wees. L. Not in the mood now Nothing poetic to say. Time to hit the sack. Day #13 E. Boris in peril Didn’t take his own advice Will he be humbled?

V. Easy to fritter away time, doing not much What day is it now? L. go go go go stop Stop stop stop stop stop stop go Go go go go stop. Day #14 E. Pink moon wasn’t pink. Employment means not working How can we trust words? V. Sun warm as summer. I’ve lost my mojo today. Slump of Can’t Be Arsed L. There is no peace here Two people are in my brain I can not switch off Day #15 E. Walk past cemetery Up to The Heavens. Gorgeous Can anything be wrong? V. Word puzzles abound. Not enough to calm my mind. Still the sun shines on. C. Long queue for butcher And long queue for bakery A nation of queuers L.

Two door- stop meetings A birthday in quarantine Soon we will party Day #16 E. I swing in hammock. Next door’s children splash in pool Dog rolls in fox pooh! L. Skin is a boundary, guarding frontier to the soul. Sometimes so porous. V. Haiku hiatus? Can’t find the sounds easily As time stretches out. Day #Seventeen V. Pigeons in fine voice, calling “You do stink, you do” Time for a shower. E. Lockdown wearing thin Missing my cappuccinos Easter bunny came. L. Really had enough I don’t want to stay at home. At least the sun shines. C. Enjoying the sun And the lack of traffic noise And keeping fit Day #18 E. Easter Sunday drinks Family dynamic on Zoom.

Hope we all keep well. V. Wind roaring today. Curtains billowing, dancing. The door agitates. L. I dislike group Zooms It’s the only way they say Not sure I agree Day #19 E. A patch of blue haze. Bluebell lake lights up the woods. These black clouds will pass. L. Lists of things to do. A stretch of time to do it. Slowly wins the race. V. Soft green of new growth Wild garlic flowers shine white. Chilly air bracing. Day #20 E. (written and sent the night before)- The sky is rosy red The evening star is shining What will morning bring? V. Cloudless sky again Seemingly perpetual In long lockdown days. Day #21 E. Pleased to be at home. Freedom to roam in fresh air. Safe to safely wave.

V. Nature is thriving. Blossom out. Birds busy, while we’re suspended , stuck. Day# 22 E. Hands made to comfort. Now too dangerous to hold. How do we reach out? V. Bright light, but what’s this? Oh! got a bite in the night Unseen dangers lurk. Day #23 E. Lilac in full bloom. Nature’s beauty all around No-one there to see. L. Grey and misty skies This is not our new normal Everything changes. V. British weather’s back. Grey sky mirroring my mood. Not funny any more. Day #24 E. This is a strange world Avoiding people brings thanks. How can we connect? L. A stretch of time. The roller-coaster rushes. The pendulum ticks. V.

Cloudless sky again. Lucky stops to munch on grass. My mind turns to work. C. Been busy with zoom. Meeting friends across Europe Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom,zoom! Day #25 E. Woodpeckers drumming. Crows waiting to peck lambs’ eyes Corvid nineteen rules. V. I fetched Lucky’s lead She looked at me with disdain. Early walk alone. C. Rosa’s morning walk. Blue sky, warm breeze and still ponds. She rolls in cut grass. L. The cars touch no roads. The clouds are gone for now. Connection is lost? Day26# E. Cut grass in the park. Lucky rolls-in the moment. I can learn from her. V. Deserted playground. Dappled light of spring morning. And so this goes on. C. The birds sing loudly. Now the traffic’s gone away a new world emerges.

L. What is boredom then? Is boredom the spice of life? Is it even real? Day 27# E. Boredom’s the well -spring to find creativity, find something to do. L. Boredom’s a well-spring So it cancels itself out then? What defines it first? E. When you are desp’rate to get rid of emptiness you create something. V. Mind whirring with work. Nine to five inside. Contact virtual and bizarre! C. Coronovirus struck us when we weren’t looking. Will they ever see? Day 28# E. Raining pink petals. Blossom soon will disappear. Wish the virus would. V. (dog’s life.) Long sleep, cuddle, walk. Sniff, snuggle, sniff, pee, snuffle.. Pooh, snuffle, eat sleep. (and repeat)

C. Empty spaces greet where once the streets were busy. Eerily quiet. L. On the scooter now. Don’t dillydally then. Looks like I’m running. Day 29# V. Morning bird -song choir. Pump hummimg. Watching the light. Counting breaths,. In-Out. E. A bumbling bee sucks sweet nectar, in the lungwort. Can I trust my lungs? C. All trees are now green and May blossom smells sweetly. Hay fever season. L. Knowledge is power. But some I choose to ignore. Action must follow. Day 30# E. White sheet on the line, sailing away on the breeze. Where can we sail to? V. A patch of light finds ferns on our walk today. Legs of lead, heavy head. Day 31#

E. Twenty thousand deaths. Government was not prepared. Brexit took control. C. It’s Sunday morning. The garden an oasis. Away from joggers. V. Fragments of dreams come into my mind as I walk. Connections stirring. L. If we are one world why don’t we have one approach? Because we know best! E. Ah! We British are exceptions. We won the war! Now we are down-sized.

Day 32# E. Disobeyed the rules. Walked by the river Severn. Naughty but lovely. Did walk longer than we drove. Lucky found dead deer. Venison for lunch! V. Woke up hungry and remembered strange dreams of a wedding and music. “Must do a haiku” I thought at the end of the work day. Wound up tight. C.

Rain is in the air. I hope it comes tomorrow. My garden is parched. L. Home school is open. Work is also getting done. Need time to just be. Day 33# L. A chill in the air. Take a deep breath and breathe out. Attach mask firmly. V. The rain has arrived. Good for the gardens, not so for long walks. E. Boris is back. I never thought I’d be pleased. He’s better than Raab. Day 34# E. Rainbows in windows. People trying hard to cope. Parents missing school. V. Huge meeting on “Teams” Spoke to forty-five people but only saw three. To calm my nerves I thought of raindrops glistening on clover, and breathed. L. You love animals. You love them more than people? It makes sense really.

C. Cold, grey and raining. Still, we shouldn’t be grumbling. We need April rain. Day 35# V. Rose early after sleepless night. Eyes settled on green velvet valley. E. Boris has a son. Will his recent brush with death make him a good Dad? Day 36# (1st May) V. The dog is dreaming with her eyes open, twitching, prone. My heart fills up. E. Seedlings welcomed rain. Weeds and slugs delighted too. Nothing is perfect. L. P. (aged 6) The flowers are grown. They look really beautiful. The trees are so green. O. (aged 8) Hi! I’m a diamond. I’m shiny and beautiful, crazy and spinning. C. The rain came at last. Trees, grass and flowers looked up. Relieved at fresh air. L. Got caught in the rain,

After hiding under trees We had hot chocolate! Day 37# E. I miss the canal. Ten thousand flat steps. Not enough space now. Hips hurt up the hills. Knees don’t like it going down. I am an old crock. V. dramatic sky-scape Set against swaying bright trees and rainbows of plants. C. A strong cup of tea, after digging in the soil. What could be better? L. Default position To say yes, put others first When will I learn? Now? Day 38# E. Birthday in lockdown but daughter making brownies ‘specially for me! O. (8) It’s a nice day It’s Edna’s birthday Yey! Wish you love today. P. (6) Oh it’s your birthday. I wish you have a nice day Wish you luck from P. L.

Sending thoughts and love Make it one to remember. We will meet again! V. Baking brownies for Mum’s birthday today. Rich smell. Chocolate delight. Day 39# E. Purple orchids out. Buttercups and cowslips shine against the grey sky. V. Fleeting visit from a great tit in this garden of few birds. Welcome! L. I don’t remember my run this morning. Must have not been so present. Day 40# E. Five rhythms on zoom Surreal. Legs,, arms, heads float past. Cubism is real. V. Surfaced from deep sleep. Fortieth birthday looming. Still only Tuesday. L. The sun shines on us. There is a silver lining, if not out, then in. Day 41# V. Too many meetings filling my head. Ants in my

pants. Sunny out there. L. I thrive in a team. Much of my work is alone. Sometimes feels a lot. E. Run out of haikus. Forgetting what day it is. Seven weeks at home. Day 42# E. Ferguson is gone. Romantic love-- no reason to break his lockdown. C. On Parliament hill. Below, the heat haze rises Birdsong fills the air. L. Time for reflection on how we live and relate. Why do we exist? V. Pounding the pavements. Panting, lumbering, graceless. But forward I went.