Mary Deaves (née May) – 1991

Written for Wycombe High School magazine (WHS Guild). Class of 1991.

Well then, what an odd year it’s been So many things before unseen We learnt how to work in new ways And often rearranged our days

For in March, how much things did change And life became so very strange Things we had taken for granted From our lives sadly departed

We were no longer fully free Our friends and family to see The ones that our hearts held so dear Could no longer with us be near

All our work meetings went online If connections were working fine Church also went to internet As there we virtually met

Our son could no more come to tea At home alone he had to be And I with my parents did speak By video call once a week

We exercised just once each day Often cycled quite a long way We went into the countryside So t’was a solitary ride

The world did seem a quieter place As nature was given more space We wondered at God’s creation And gave to Him adoration

Tho’ my birthday trip had been planned Alas, by then, travel was banned So we celebrated, just two Went for a bike ride, nothing new!

Gran-in-law and my mum got sick Deteriorated quite quick And thus we had to say goodbye As it came time for them to die

In September we went away To Plymouth for a holiday We travelled there by bike and train Social-distancing did maintain

Manchester too, for a weekend Our son, with us, did there attend It was a pretty simple break But a great change for us did make

Surely no one could have foreseen How very odd times would have been And as the year drew to a close We wait to see how the next goes!