The cricket poem that perfectly captures life in lockdown

For one dad from Steeton, the experience of lockdown has unleashed creativity with a cricketing twist.

In between working from home and home schooling, Daniel Kennedy has written a lockdown poem.

The summer that never happened began life with the thought of a lonesome set of cricket stumps stood waiting in the sun for play to begin.

Daniel picks up the story: “The image came to mind following a flurry of cricketing cancellations back in March – just as things were ramping up for the start of the junior season for my two sons.”

“My eldest, Noah (11) was due to have a West Yorkshire trial in early April following a winter of UAJCA, Yorkshire Pathways and club nets, and so was rightly gutted; while Joseph was going to be U9 captain for Skipton CC.”

The poem has since proved a hit on Facebook and his cousin is also going to use it with her music class when schools go back.

If you want to watch Daniel recite it himself, here’s the clip on YouTube or the poem is below too.

For me, it captures the deathly quiet across cricket grounds everywhere but also cleverly observes some of the ways we’ve behaved and adapted during lockdown.

Over to Daniel…

THE SUMMER THAT NEVER HAPPENED

The cricket stumps stood waiting,

The sun shone in the sky,

But on pitches round the country,

Not one person was heard to cry

“Howzat!” screamed the bowler,

“Dead plumb!” cheered his mates,

But looking for the umpire,

We soon recalled our fate.

This was the summer that never happened,

The one we all stayed home,

And sat and learned to yearn,

For the simple right to roam.

Pubs and clubs shut their doors,

Zoom became the new night out.

The only sport left to play,

Was harangue the lockdown flout.

Two walks a day? A BBQ?

Set curtains all a quiver,

While bad news from around the globe

Made tears flow like a river.

This was the summer that never happened,

The one we all stayed home,

Asking in horror every day,

Have the numbers dying grown?

We talked of masks and PPE,

And daily PM briefings,

Of Nightingales, and Captain Tom,

And wild conspiracy theories.

We put rainbows in windows,

We clapped at our doors,

And looked round in wonder

As the world hit pause.

This was the summer that never happened,

The one we all stayed home,

The one we thought we’d never forget,

Even after the years had flown.

But how will we remember?

And what lessons will we learn?

When the threat finally abates,

And normal life returns.

Less we forget should be the phrase,

That sits with us until our grave.

Connections made, friendships saved,

Loved ones lost, the oh so brave

Doctors and nurses who stood firm and tall,

And risked their lives to save us all.

The children who waved goodbye to friends,

Whose schooldays finished without an end.

The working from home, the furloughed masses,

Kitchen tables hosting weeks of classes.

The old and at risk locked indoors,

The fighting for loo rolls in grocery stores.

Time together, moments savoured,

Going an extra mile to help our neighbours.

That was the summer that never happened.

The one we all stayed home.

The one we will never forget,

Even after the years have flown

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