Here’s the thing – I don’t want to hurt you.
Or be a link in a chain causing harm.
I don’t want to hug you or kiss you
Let’s touch elbows! Then I’ll stay calm.
It’s delightful that we can sit together
Chat face to face, laugh and confide.
But please don’t judge when I whip out the hand gel
Or step a touch further from your side.
It’s tough going straight back to normal.
It makes my toes curl, my heart pound.
It’s hard to come down from the high alert mode
But I will. When I do, I’ll pop round.
The last four months have left me weary.
Now happier times have come at last.
But at times I’m still so consumed by worry,
That having fun is hard. Don’t push me too fast.
I just ask for you to be gentle.
Because really, it’s a very big ask.
Trust me, in my own time, I’ll do it.
I’ll take a deep breath, and I’ll take off the mask.
By Emma Fielder