Encouraged by comments on my latest blog - and reminded that I always intend to post my blogs on WOL and usually get distracted before doing so - I'm repeating a blog from a few weeks ago which I didn't post here. With thanks to those who commented on the last one!

I've been thinking about what happens next. There's been a lot of talk in the press, and shared posts on social media, about the stresses of lockdown and I understand that. I'm also aware that I'm in a privileged position with a garden, surrounded by countryside, and no longer worried about maintaining a steady job so my lockdown pain is about missing family and friends, and cancelling outings and holidays, rather than existential anguish.

Perhaps as a result, my mind has been turning to the aftermath. Many things have changed in the last few weeks. Some of these changes will be quickly reversed, some will persist. Some things need to change and this may be the opportunity to change them - a greener world, a fairer one. But there are, as always, pressures in the opposite direction as well, including governments who have taken more power and may not want to give it up, pressures from the usual vested interests.

All this, and a comment from a friend on Facebook, has led me to sharing a poem which is really work in progress. I've wanted to use repetition and a firm rhyme scheme to give a sense of urgency, and come up with what is effectively a wish list. Here it is, in its present form...

Lessons learnt

These are the things that must be done
Leave oil in the ground, use the wind and the sun
Hold onto improvements so hard won
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done
End the daily commute, the drive through the rain
The strap-hanging tube, the crowded out train
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done
End our reliance on factory farms
Live light on the earth, do no harm
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done
Pay the true price for the use of flight
Sustainably source our power and light
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done
Walk or cycle down the street
Respect and honour all we meet
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done
Require all corporates to respect the earth
Stop confusing wealth with worth
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done
Value those who make things tick
Care for the elderly, heal the sick
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done