Thank you all who have read, and especially you who have commented, on Submarine Matters this year.
Here is a poem of hope for Christmas - circulated on the Internet anonymously, with Southern Hemisphere updating by me.
T'was just days before Christmas,
And all through the town,
People wore masks,
That covered their frown.
The frown had begun
Way back last Summer,
When a global pandemic
Made life a bummer.
They called it Corona,
But unlike the beers,
It didn’t bring good times,
It only brought tears.
Contagious and deadly,
This virus spread fast,
Like a bushfire that starts
When lightning strikes parts.
Airplanes were grounded,
Travel was banned.
Borders were closed
Across air, sea and land.
As the world entered lockdown
To flatten the curve,
The economy halted,
And folks lost their nerve.
From March to July
We rode the first wave,
People stayed home,
They tried to behave.
When Spring emerged
The lockdown was lifted.
But some became careless,
Some of us drifted.
Now it’s December
Northern Hemisphere spiking,
Even in Sydney,
Not much to their liking.
Frontline workers,
Doctors and nurses,
Try to save people,
From riding in hearses.
This virus is awful,
This is COVID-19.
And only just now
Hopeful vaccines
It’s true that this year
Has had sadness a plenty,
We’ll never forget
The year 2020.
And just ‘round the corner -
The holiday season,
Can we be merry?
Is there even a reason?
To decorate the house
And put up the tree,
Maybe no one will see it,
No one but me.
But outside my window
The Sun shines strong,
And I think to myself,
One day Good comes along!
So, I gather the ribbon,
The garland and bows,
As I play those old carols,
My happiness grows.
Christmas is not cancelled
And neither is hope.
If we lean on each other,
I know we can cope.
Merry Christmas to all!