Who will listen to my heart now?

Heads down. Hushed voices.
Coughs and sneezes.
Old Magazines.
Women’s Own, Women’s Weekly.
Flipping pages in the surgery.

Your call is valuable to us.
Please hold.
Verdi’s Hebrew Slaves’ Chorus
filling the silence.
Tenth in the queue you’re told.
Please hold.

Doors locked and bolted.
Headphones replacing
stethoscopes
Who will listen to my heart now?

Persistent you say?
Trouble with breathing?
No. Don’t come into the surgery.
Prescription.
A dose of self-isolation.

Behind the glass.
Bewildered.
Why won’t she hold my hand?
We called this shielding.
Blowing kisses. Virtual appearances.
We called this protecting.

Reminder.
Covid-19 Please attend.
Viral mutation.
Invading pandemics’ border.
Saved by vaccination.
Will we need a booster?

Who will listen to my heart now?
Behind the mask.
Fear.

By Joy Johnson