My school is effectively closed as of today. All the exam revision sessions, open evenings, essay marking, the grip and slog of it all, has suddenly ended. I have no parents left living or needy elderly relatives close by. I keep feeling terribly guilty when the thought pops uninvited into my head, as it has been doing, of just how pleasant government-imposed isolation sounds right now. I have a warm house with books to read, food to eat, movies to watch, board games to play with my kids and my wife. I'm probably a terrible person. I have an elderly neighbour who I'm running shopping errands for and that makes me feel better. Along with the guilt, these lines from Poe keep running through my head like a sinister refrain:
The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the "Red Death".
The world feels almost too weird for poetry right now. I'll probably feel differently tomorrow. I think I overdosed on news at the weekend.
I wish you all well. Stay in and stay safe folks.
Edit: those are funny though, Adrian.
