I went to the pub

It was almost normal.

The lights were too bright

And the people too loud.

The beer was warm

And the heating was off.

The spaces between us were bigger than before.

The worry in people’s eyes was barely disguised.

The need for normality was evident in their minds.

They all tried too hard

They all stayed too long,

But they thought their lives had been on hold.

They feared the worst and lost nothing.

They paid no attention and their distraction cost them their souls.

The beer still flowed.