When all this is over
We’ll be good people when all this is over
(they say)
We’ll breathe deeper, love harder, hold closer
We’ll notice the birdsong and block out the noise,
make things with our hands,
face problems with poise
We’ll be good people when all this is over
(they say)
We’ll plant trees and frolic in clover
We’ll savour this feeling of in-it-together,
build bridges and learn to bitch less
about weather
We’ll be good people when all this is over
(they say)
We’ll limit our screentime exposure
Send elegant letters in paper and ink
Set spare time aside just to sit
and to think
We’ll be good people when all this is over
(they say)
More mindful of time on the sofa
Read books by the pile and remember them too
Use a maximum three squares
of paper per poo
We’ll be good people when all this is over
(they say)
Love thy neighbour and use thy greengrocer
Smile broadly at strangers we pass in the street
Cook with lentils and pulses,
call chicken ‘a treat’
We’ll be good people when all this is over
(they say)
Wiser, but not a day older
Full of new skills we acquired under thrall
Making brunch without eggs,
Having sex via Zoom call
We’ll be good people when all this is over
(they say)
Less quick to curse those who move slower
Won’t huff at the length of the Post Office queue
Recycle correctly,
close our mouths when we chew
We’ll be good people when all this is over
(they say)
More fun and yet somehow more sober
We’ll realise life’s purpose and how to pursue it
Tell our dentist we’ll floss
and then actually do it
We’ll be good people when all this is over
(they say)
Whether that’s May, or October
We’ll have worked out the proper quota of care
for our wardrobes, give less of a shit
about hair
We’ll be good people when all this is over
(they say)
Once we’ve reached the right kind of closure
We’ll fly less, take trains, save the carbon and walk
Call friends with no warning (imagine!)
to talk
We’ll be good people when all this is over
(they say)
In ways we have yet to discover
Dunno when ‘over’ will be though, or how
I suppose we could always
start now.
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