He was happy

He was happy

In the corner

Playing with plasticine

Or manipulating

A 2B or not 2B pencil

Copying pictures

Of the Beatles

From Fabulous 208

Into his sketchbook

Sometimes whole issues

Of the glossy weekly were

Devoted to the fab four

With no other artists

Even featured

This level

Of exposure

Never done before

Or since

It was a safe way

For a young boy

To spend a cold day

In a pit village

A magazine borrowed

From the girl next door

Time out of mind

In isolation

Self-imposed

Who would have known

How prescient

It would prove to be

Early training

For a lockdown

In far off years to come

When,

Thanks to the viral curse

Of covid

Days could slide by

With little contact

Of any kind

To warm a lonely heart

And erase

The self-indulgent

Introspection

From his art