Elegy to 2021

Well I made my will and I paid those bills.
Looked for stimulation but ‘twas a no-go zone.
Filling up the day like a one note drone
Exercise, catastrophize, calm it down, look around
No people on the street, no-one in my home
Just a gloomy cloud like a funeral shroud.
Delayed vaccines and no sight of quarantine
Then a human rights disaster in Afghanistan 
With women’s lives castrated by the Taliban
A culture of misogyny on Capital Hill
Prompts outcries of no more – we’ve had our fill
And Morrison denies that he lied to the French
Corruption and pork barreling – can you smell the stench?
And meanwhile the people don’t seem to have a choice
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s Barnaby Joyce.
Tele-health, remote learning and meeting on Zoom
Leading digital lives – no contact in the room.
We’re waiting for the numbers to drop down low
So the hospitals can cope with the overflow.
A Covid safe Olympics and lots of Aussie Gold
Cheered us up for a moment and our hearts were bold
Followed closely by more lockdowns with the Delta strain
Isolation, fear and boredom nearly drove us insane.
Then our streets were filled, with rabid anti-vaxxers,
The conspiracy theorists and Dictator Dan detractors.
So we gobbled Netflix shows to escape the fiasco
Of a gas lead recovery and embarrassment at Glasgow.
No wonder Elon Musk sets his eyes on Mars
With Earth ruled by dinosaurs clinging to their cars 
So 2021 you’re a dismal farce
Your sole redeeming feature – the Thursday Writers’ class. 
School Report Photo Credit: Rhoufifoto

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Annie Ryall

Annie Ryall Author Writing Backwards