Still Wonderful

Gayelene Carbis

And suddenly,
                        shops are closed 
                        jobs are lost
                        lines outside Centrelink. 

And then
                        you can only leave your home 
                        for four essential reasons. 

There can only be two
                        in a house, unless 
                        you’re family, or sharing. 

The world turns strange. 

Days seem surreal. 

We must all stay home, stay distant. 

And so we turn to zoom
                       to facetime
                       visits to parents standing outside windows. 

And then there’s suddenly this: 
                       The Kindness Pandemic, 
                       which, on certain days, can make you cry. 

And I say to myself – what a wonderful world.

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Gayelene Carbis is an Australian/Chinese/Irish/Cornish writer of poetry, prose and plays.  Her first book of poetry, Anecdotal Evidence (Five Islands Press) was awarded Finalist –International Book Awards for Poetry, 2019. Gayelene’s awards/shortlistings include Second Prize, Newcastle Poetry Prize 2021; First Prize, My Brother Jack Poetry Award 2020; was recently Finalist in the Bruce Dawe, Ada Cambridge and Yeats Poetry Prizes (Highly Commended/Commended); and is currently Finalist (two stories) in the Microflix Festival Awards. Gayelene has performed/published her work widely in Australia and overseas. Gayelene teaches Creative Writing; is Writing Supervisor, Swinburne University; and Poet-in-Residence in schools.   

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