AT WAR
"On March 12th 2020 I went to war. I went to war with an invisible enemy whose unanticipated onslaught I was unprepared for.
I was ambushed without warning and left reeling from the immediacy of battle with this enemy.
An enemy whose new language I was forced to learn in order to do combat with it. And all without even the time to invoke the right to 'Parley'"
I am a Pandemic Warrior at war with technology,
My armour my P.J’s, with a keyboard for weaponry.
My battleground skirmishes take place in my room,
As I battle with Doodle and Moodle and Zoom.
I have been socially distanced while working remotely,
The silence is welcome but the contact is paltry.
My coffees are real but my coffee breaks virtual,
As my WFH blurs the home/office boundaries.
My meetings are Blue Buttoned, Zoomed or on Teams,
With side room discussions; gallery views and shared screens.
There are uploads and downloads to Sharepoint or Onedrive
And Webinar training to help us survive.
I struggle to Mute and un-Mute for my slots,
With my Digital hand raised while my internet Drops.
And just as I’m getting my internet back,
I’m Zoombombed by hubby or my fame-seeking cat.
While I juggle the customers, kids and the boss,
I think you’ll agree that we’re all at a loss,
As to how to Transition in a Frictionless fashion,
To a new way of working with a new found passion.
To open my Inbox I have to be brave,
As my Urgency Addiction has made me a slave,
To answer each query as soon as it lands,
So the email grenade won’t explode in my hands.
My work schedule’s now planned around my Capacity,
And that doesn’t mean for Gin or Quarantini Rhapsodies.
Between Apps and Platforms, and I don’t mean shoes,
I think I’ve developed Technology Blues.
I will continue to “go forth into the breach”,
With new skills and a vocabulary full of “tech speak”.
But as I march onward into Technologies Land,
For me, “Zoom” will ALWAYS mean Fat Larry’s Band.
“Zoom – you chased the day away. High Noon – the moon and stars come out to play”.
Jackie O
Disclaimer: This is not in any way meant to undermine the severity of the COVID Pandemic and all those who have been affected by it in any way .
The artwork accompanying this blog is by Mark Weber.
