Safe Haven

To the tune ‘Londonderry Air’

Please stay at home, while danger prowls around you,
    Don’t leave your house, except in case of need;
Please stay indoors, for your sake and for others’,
    Keep to the rules, in thought and word and deed.
Please stay inside, until this war is over,
    Speak on the phone, while social groups are banned;
And don’t forget, we’re all in this together,
    You’re not alone — support is close at hand.

Please stay at home, secure in your safe haven,
    Enjoy the day, and don’t forget to smile;
And in the evening, rest in quiet contentedness,
    Remember this — it’s only for a while.
May God protect you through the hours of darkness,
    And keep you safe from lurking fears within;
And bring you through the night of doubt and wakefulness,
    Until you see the next new day begin.

We cannot tell how long our isolation,
    How many moons will pass while we endure;
We wait in hope for signs of consolation,
    An end to feeling anxious and unsure.
But this we know — it will not last for ever,
    The time will come when all will be revealed;
When friends can meet, and we can be together,
    And all our loneliness and hurts are healed.

Lesley Floyd, March 2020