A Mental Note

For a brief time
I was in a bad mood.
Then I perked up a bit.

I did feel a sense of calm
as I absent-mindedly chewed
on toast and marmalade

but when I looked out
and saw a plastic bottle
rattling down the road

I felt outrage for about an hour
but then the sun broke through
and I didn’t feel so blue

and noticing that the sky
had become unusually strange 
also gave me joy

but then I began to feel cross
again and the reason was
that you’d not been in touch

for oh I don’t know how long
but then the phone rang
and it was you.

You said
‘How are you getting on in lockdown?’
and I said

‘For a brief time
I was in a bad mood.
Then I perked up a bit

but when I saw a plastic bottle
I raged, raged against those
who don’t make sure their plastic goes

in the recycling bin
it’s easy enough to pop it in!
but the sun came out

and that had a positive effect
but then I began to feel cross again
because you haven’t been in touch much

but earlier the eating of toast and marmalade
had made me calmer perhaps chewing
is a bit like meditating so all in all..’

Only then did I realise I was talking
to no one -
you’d ended the call.