Primary School in the Time of Covid
(after Please Mrs. Butler by Allan Ahlberg)
Please Mrs Butler
You're coughing quite a lot
And you're really hot and sweaty, Miss.
Is Covid what you've got?
Be guided by the science,
And please don't badger me.
Just keep your distance, wash your hands
And fetch my PPE.
It's hard to understand, Miss,
For kids as young as us
Just what Covid is, Miss,
And why there's such a fuss.
The school needs an example, dear,
Of someone who's unwell.
So hurry to Assembly now
And I'll do Show and Tell.
(from The Wrong Ancient Mariner,
publ. Grosvenor House Press, 2023
first appeared in The Spectator)