Write it down in poems

Get them back to school
Sit them down in rows
Drill them in the basics
Let's see how that goes

Four months of pandemic
Anxiety all around
Back to school as normal
Fallout will be found

Lack of concentration
Overwhelmed all day
Another change from normal
How will they find their way?

Even those quite hardy
See stress around each corner
Friendships will need care
That's the affect of trauma

Now let's think about solutions
What helps in times like these?
Is it complex maths
Or endless spelling bees?

I suggest it's about nurture
Of their minds and souls
Processing changed reality
Stop a permanent toll

Lots of sharing feelings
Time to just hang out
Opportunities to let go
Dance, run and shout

Write it down in poems
Or music of all sorts
Splash paper in colour
Not worry about reports

The arts provide release
Meaning in the unknown
Let's embrace opportunity
Schools as healing zones

But that's not the agenda
Government has a plan
Keep results to target
Of this I'm not a fan