My Covid Story was a Competition ran on Tipp FM over the last few months, where we asked for listeners to document their Covid experience in the form of a painting, poem, song or whatever way they feel!
We got hundreds of entries but the winner of our poetry section was announced as Padre Pio Nursing home for their poem, which you can read below:
BACK IN MARCH 2020 THE PANDEMIC STARTED,
LEAVING US ALL A BIT SCARED AND A LITTLE DOWN HEARTED,
NO VISITORS COULD COME SEE US, NO FAMILY OR FRIENDS,
WE OFTEN WONDERED WHEN IT WOULD ALL END,
BUT THE PADRE PIO STAFF, HAD MANY GREAT PLANS,
BECAUSE OUR SADNESS THEY COULD TRULY UNDERSTAND,
SO THEY TAUGHT US HOW TO MAKE A ZOOM CALL,
AND HOW TO FACE TIME OUR FAMILIES WHEN WE MISSED THEM ALL,
WE SOON BECAME EXPERTS ON TABLETS AND PHONES,
IT MADE SUCH A DIFFERENCE TO SEE ALL THOSE AT HOME,
WE KEPT OURSELVES BUSY WITH ACTIVITIES BY THE SCORE,
LIKE OUR CHOIR AND SCHOOL BAKE-OFF AND SO SO MUCH MORE,
WE WERE WITHOUT DOUBT THE STARS OF TIK TOK,
AND AT THE JERUSALEMA DANCE WE SURE DID ROCK,
WE SPENT SUMMER DAYS IN THE GARDEN, DRINKING COCKTAILS IN THE SUN,
WE DANCED AND WE PARTIED AND ALWAYS HAD FUN,
ALL OUR BIG MILESTONE OCCASIONS WE CELEBRATED IN STYLE,
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES BROUGHT SO MANY HAPPY SMILES,
CHRISTMAS WAS MADE SPECIAL EVEN THOUGH FAMILIES COULD NOT BE THERE,
BUT OUR FANTASTIC STAFF SHOWED US SO MUCH EXTRA CARE,
THEY ENTERTAINED US TOO WITH THEIR TALENTS AND SKILLS,
THE MEMORIES OF THOSE DAYS MAKE US SMILE EVEN STILL.
THE TIME PASSED QUICKLY,AND THOUGH WE MISSED THOSE AT HOME,
WE WERE NEVER FOR ONE MINUTE LEFT FEELING ALONE,
OUR BOND WITH OUR STAFF GREW STRONGER BY THE DAY,
LIKE ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY THROUGH THE TOUGHEST DAYS WE FOUND A WAY,
WE WILL NEVER FORGET IN JANUARY THIS YEAR,
OUR VACCINES WERE ROLLED OUT, AND WE COULD ALL FEEL LESS FEAR,
NORMAL LIFE COULD SOON START AGAIN,
AND WE WELCOMED PRECIOUS TIME WITH OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS,
THE TIME SPENT IN LOCKDOWN WAS NOT ALWAYS EASY, BUT THANKS TO OUR STAFF,
WE ALWAYS FOUND WAYS TO SMILE AND HAVE A LAUGH,
THEY ARE ALL EARTHLY ANGELS, THAT MUCH IS FOR SURE,
THEY COULD NOT FOR ANY OF US HAVE DONE ANY MORE,
IT’S TRUE WHAT THEY SAY “WHEN HARD TIMES COME TO CALL
KINDNESS IS THE GREATEST GIFT OF THEM ALL,
AND NOW THAT THE FUTURE IS LOOKING BRIGHTER AND BETTER,
WE’LL HOLD TIGHT TO THE MEMORIES OF OUR YEAR SPENT TOGETHER,
AND WE SAY THANK YOU EVERYDAY TO THE MAN ABOVE,
THAT WE LIVE HERE IN PADRE PIO, A HOME FILLED WITH LOVE.
