Today’s poem

Hurrah and Hallelujah! A vaccine’s on its way It might be here by Christmas, well, that is what they say. The figures we are given for the UK population Are 67 million, who all need the vaccination. We all must have two doses, so what are we to do? Do we line up at the surgery, and form a lengthy queue? Do we ditch the sanitiser, do we ditch the gloves and mask? I confess I’m none the wiser, but it seems a mammoth task. I’m not a frontline worker, I cannot save a life, Or work a ventilator, for someone’s dad or wife. The porters and the cleaners who enter ICU, They all should be in front of me, so I’ll stay in the queue.

The staff in supermarkets, now they should take my place, Each day they face the idiots with no masks on their face. En masse, they feed the nation with the job they have to do, Yes, they should be in front of me, so I’ll stay in the queue. And what of care home workers, and the residents as well? The postmen, and the dustmen, they’ve all a tale to tell. So steadfastly they carry on, delivery drivers, too, Yes, they should be in front of me, so I’ll stay in the queue. And all the people suffering, I’d like to think we cared, They’re afraid to go to hospital, they’re not just ill — they’re scared.

My woes are insignificant, just company I lack, But I’ve Netflix and Alexa — so I’ll move further back. No more am I a teacher, retirement is a plus, I don’t face loads of children, who’ve come to school by bus And mixed with one another, so how am I to know If they’ve coronavirus, if no symptoms do they show? I’m not a vital worker, I’m not a special case, But hey, it’s fine, I’ll wait in line, let someone take my place. There are others who must jump the queue, so patient I will be And hope there’s still some vaccine left by the time they get to me!

Sandra Scarlett, Hornchurch, Essex.