We are Thankful

By Florence Milner

You were there when we were not,
You held their hands whilst we could not,
You were out while we hid at home.
On the frontline, all alone.
You sacrificed all, for our loved ones to live,

You wore masks, visors, gloves and gowns,
Isolated in the hoods, goggles and face shields.
You were separated as we were concealed,
In the uniforms of heroes.
You were guarded by these protective capes,
And guarded by God’s grace.

But the metaphors of these masks show,
They hide, cover, mask your highs and the lows.
They hide your tears as another dies,
They cover your relief when another lives,
They mask your tiredness after your endless shifts,

Until eventually, like every mask,
They are thrown away or taken off.
There is nothing we can do while we watch 
You breakdown under the selfless weight.
All we can do is be thankful and wait,
‘Til you recover, ready for your next shift. 

Thank you for all you have done, our words are not enough
But we are grateful for what you gave, we know it was tough.

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Growing Word poems