Can I keep this view?

A poem written off the back of the Covid-19 pandemic as laws and restrictions in the UK were scrapped. From the eyes of a person who was considered ‘high risk’.

I wish I could keep this view forever,
Where no shadows of fear are cast.
Where no bickering, piercing eyes
Above covered mouths that lie,
Are judging me as we pass.

Can I maintain my gaze here?
A polaroid of what I know.
Where any changes that are made,
Are ones within my control.

Can I keep my feet here?
Planted, I needn’t room to grow.
As any faces I have seen these past two years,
Have not been ones I know.

Keep me in this bubble, please.
The world I knew is not so kind.
I’ve been shielded and scapegoated
And broken down,
To pieces; labels of body and mind.

Allow me to stay alone, please.
Out there, I’ve been conditioned to know my place.
A worthless stain, an unpleasant taste,
A burden on the state.

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