Roll on 2021

As it turned midnight

we could hear the fireworks

from where we were

on the ward.

My only thought was

“they better not wake my patients up”

Fitting to end the year here,

with strangers,

colleagues

I’ve never met before

scrambled together

in order to ensure

the safety of the ward.

Redeployment it’s called,

robbing Peter to pay Paul

in other words.

Unfortunately the summer lull

was a missed opportunity

to learn from previous mistakes

and make adequate arrangements

to cope with the impending waves.

There is no resilience left

staff catching covid

or off with stress

even pay incentives

offering ridiculous amounts

aren’t helping to plug the ever widening gaps.

I wrote over a year ago

about no slack in the system,

this was before covid 19

we are now well and truly

running on empty.

I don’t know what the answer is

but watching Boris

celebrating Brexit

and revelling in AstraZeneca’s success

without a care for us.

Expected to role out at least

40 million vaccinations

whilst still wading though his mess

sucks the last slither of hope out of my chest

like a dementor disguised as a clown.

Roll on 2021