On Opening a Christmas Card

How wonderful when people write!

Holding Christmas cards feels right;

This virtual world where no one meets

Save via a screen or silly tweets

 

Means missing out what matters most:

Seeing friends or playing host.

We fill our fridges, wine and dine

But stare at walls most of the time…

 

Mental issues now beset

Many who cannot connect

With loved ones, family or workmates;

As months slip by – fear escalates.

 

With social distancing enforced

Most from friends are now ‘divorced’!

The gaudy shopfronts are no lure;

For loneliness, there’s just one cure …

 

We humans are a social bunch

Keen to share news over lunch

Or meet in pubs and have a beer;

Where is the bonhomie this year?

(c) Poet in the woods 2020