Inside

In the padded cell of my confinement I think and feel and slide Down a slope of reason and emotion dressed in gloves and mask I am rebel but in times of these I learnt to follow orders and abide Though staying sane other than my normal lunacy remains a task I am a rubber ball in stagnant motion bouncing back inside four walls A ricochet master in training who gathers speed in pinball fashion Take out my slingshot and ponder where when and if the rebound falls No prisoner restrained by mental shackles and full of uninhibited passion Immured and isolated as an island's rock I gather humility and gratitude Because I happen to have the privilege of a home to be locked up in Play with marbles in my mind sorting memories that have been skewed Throw socks and knickers from my afar bed straight into the laundry bin Boredom is just another word for lacking ingenuous fantasy or inspiration The price of segregation and detachment is very small if one has shelter With fire place and running water well beyond most people's expectation When the so called global village is euphemistic for chaotic helter-skelter Playing darts the arrow of injustice flies straight into a bull's eye's scream The chess board that revives my tedium contains a set of weary pawns But I am fortunate to be locked down or up together with my Fairy Queen My lover soul mate best friend ever who shares my moods from dusk to dawn How could I dare to complain about my situation of comfort in such quarantine It's easy to dust the shelves when reading every book before you put it back Not to mention rather tongue in cheek that I have loo rolls and my own latrine All I have to do is stay at home and write my poems during the virus' attack Duress of incarceration with washed hands and coughs into a healthy elbow But cubital hygiene so to speak will not affect my articulation for any length I promise sincerely that my words will not be sanitized as I condense my flow Times could be better but rising to a challenge concentrates one's real strength 02nd March 2020 Quarantine Poetry Contest Sponsor Julie Leigh Rodeheaver