Emily Dickinson wrote;

“We grow accustomed to the Dark-

When Light is put away-”

This year the dark stayed so long

We had to.

Our eyes adjusted until we

could make out

Shadows and shapes.

Until we could wind our way through the months

with some semblance of normality

Although we know it isn’t.

The world feels lonely in the dark

We fear if this continues

we may forget daylight

And hope.

We need reminding this will not always be.

One day we will eat a picnic

In the breeze of a warm day

Talking with friends

While our children play nearby.

We will stroll down busy streets.

We will stand in a crowd and not fear it.

We will see friends who feel a million miles away,

Or maybe who are.

We will embrace and laugh and kiss and sing

We will be together and it will be good.

The dawn will come.

This poem by Elli Johnson is about the difficulty of trying to support her children through the pandemic. She has three kids, aged 16, 14 and 11.

Elli Johnson is a poet and writer, working from her draughty Victorian house in Liverpool, with the river Mersey at the bottom of the road. Her work sits at the intersection of mental health, spirituality, and creativity. Her first book, How Not To Be Good, the A to Z of Anxiety can be purchased from her website here: https://www.ellijohnson.com/how-not-to-be-good-by-elli-johnson/

Elli is currently working on her second book. You can follow her on Instagram @ellijohnsonuk