By Paul Martin.
London’s much-heralded Nightingale hospital, set up in just 2 weeks to accommodate an estimated four thousand pandemic victims, is to be closed again in June for Covid-19 patients, according to a source involved in organising Covid-19 hospital admissions in the National Health Service.
‘’Nature’s last laugh!’’ is a poem by Jeff Cohen, who sees the Covid-19 pandemic as teaching us a lesson: not to abuse nature.
We have already had an excellent response to the invitation to contribute poems or rhymes from around the world. Here is one by Daniel Chapman from north London, who describes himself as an aspiring poet writing on a diverse range of topics from romance to sports to politics.
The BBC sometimes comes up with really cool ideas. This one, “Our favourite morning poems”, inspired our Editor to get composing – on the theme of “Poems for a Pandemic”, or, punnily, “Rhymes Going Viral”. ITV’s London news programme has done the same for five poets, video-recording them reading a poem each.
Our own aim now is to publish rhymes or poems that are whimsical, witty or inspirational, or carry a twist or a punchy message. Here are a few by Paul Martin. Other (aspiring or first-time or experienced) poets and writers are invited to join in.