Sompting Abbotts lockdown poem 'Lost Property' prompts an emotional response

The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown overturned and changed everyone’s lives. It forced us to be stiller and more reflective.

In times like these, poetry can be a very resonant way of communicating a message. It’s why we at Sompting Abbotts wrote and recorded this poem.

‘Lost Property’ was written to communicate to our school family how much we miss them and will continue to be there for them. You can listen to the poem here, read by Headmaster Stuart Douch. The words are published below.

As you’ll see from the social media reaction from our parent community below, it hit an emotional chord at a moment in lockdown that we were all finding difficult to navigate!

With so much uncertainty affecting all our daily lives, we hope you’re all coping and keeping well. Enjoy this video message that we’d like to share with you. #COVID19 #together #distancelearning

Lost property

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We were bowled over at the emotional response to our poem!

The corridors are quiet,
The class bell unrequired,
The only sound the tick tock,
Of the old grandfather clock.

Unadmired, the trees have lost their blossom,
Strewn across the grass and grounds,
The sports pitch deserted of balls and players,
The pool still, and empty of splashing swimmers.

In the walled garden, the willow dome turns green,
Around the fairy ring, children remain unseen,
The clatter of pans and the smell of lunch cooking,
No longer seep from the windows of the school kitchen.

Oh we had so many plans,
Concerts, fixtures, plays and, yes, exams,
All for now stopped in time,
Until this world moves out of quarantine.

But this is the challenge of where we are now,
Studying, zooming and grasping how,
Although we might not be physically together,
There are new ways to learn and discover.

We’re even keeping ourselves fit,
We’re making the best of it,
When this is over, we’ll always remember,
The people who made sure we didn’t flounder.

The familiar scurry of eager feet,
Of children’s chatter, banter and greets,
Will have to wait until the time,
We no longer rely upon the world online.

We only miss what we’ve got once it’s been taken away,
But we know we will be back together one day,
The ending now may not be clear,
But the school will always be near.

A school family is like a circle,
The connection never ends,
Even if now we’re separated,
In time the world will mend.

For now it may be lost property,
What was normal has now changed,
But you will find your school again,
We just don’t yet know when.

Goodbyes are not forever,
Goodbyes are not the end,
They simply mean we miss you,
Until we can meet again.

Author: Sarah Monaghan