Wrote this new poem called The Demise of Mrs Doyle about the hazards of Irish hospitality in the context of Covid 19. You can listen to it here on soundcloud:
Mrs. Doyle’s Demise
I hear a knock on the door
Then hear the voice of Joan
Do you mind if I come in?
Isn’t it great that you are home
And where else would I be
In this lockdown level five?
But politeness keeps me silent
As this visitor arrives
Arrives into my kitchen
My safe cocoon for weeks
I clear the debris off the table
And beckon to a seat
A voice inside says get her out
Why can’t you just say no
At least she has her mask on
And a healthy rosy glow
Then the Mrs. Doyle inside me
Asks will you have a cup of tea?
She points to her mask
And what do I say only
Go on, go on, be free
So I make the tea and pass the cake
The milk and sugar too
We talk about the lack of news
And she asks to use the loo
I try to avoid dramatics
As I know that I am prone
To imagining disasters
In my mind when I’m alone
In truth it’s nice to share a laugh
and I am starting to feel relaxed
But now a text from her partner Ned
Makes me feel quite banjaxed
That’s just Ned she says on his way from town
He says the covid test was grand
THE WHAT? I scream inside my head
I’m struggling now to stand
What are you doing in my kitchen?
Are you hear to kill me dead?
But of course my mouth is silent
And I stare at Joan instead
Don’t worry she says and laughs it off
My Ned’s a healthy pup
He got a contact tracing text
So he thought he’d follow up
He said he felt quite sniffly
When he was driving in the lorry
I’d say he’s just hungover
But better be safe than sorry
Well thanks for the tea I better go
And get some lunch for Ned
Isn’t it lovely to do normal things
It’s so good for the head
Well that was just a week ago
Now I am sick in bed
With fever, aches and tiredness
And the voices in my head
If Mrs Doyle could see me now
She wouldn’t say go on
She’d surely change her mantra to
Begone, begone, begone
©Lisa Fingleton 2020
For more poems check out Poetry of the Pandemic.