Photograph: Patrick Emerson / Flickr
 

Perfect Storm

 

A cold ball of fear.

When you allow yourself a glimpse

A full on glimpse at what is happening

At how changed the world

 

And how rapid the spread

Around the globe

At how drastic the measures

And how soon the spiraling down

 

At the empty shelves

And the non-essential travel bans

At the families who rely on school dinners

Having taken all support away from them

 

At a perfect storm

Just over the horizon

And we’re in summer sandals

With no rain coat

 

Tamara von Werthern is an award-winning playwright based in Hackney.

You can read more about the success of her dystopian short film, I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire, here.

Her play The White Bike, and climate change book Letters to the Earth, featuring her contribution, are available at Pages of Hackney bookshop on Lower Clapton Road.

The coronavirus outbreak sadly means the Hackney Citizen is unable to print a monthly newspaper for the first time in its 12-year history.

At a time when independent and trusted news is more important than ever, this was an incredibly difficult decision to have to make.

Without print advertising, our major source of income, a one-off donation from anyone who can afford it will help our small team keep the website and social media feeds running through this unprecedented crisis.

When Hackney and the wider world has fought off this virus and we return to some semblance of normality, the print edition will be back.

Find out how you can donate

Thanks in advance for your support, and stay safe.