A vast spherical structure floats in the sky as I go for my daily walk past the Wildwood Road ponds. This sphere is ambiguous. It is a world filled with trees, chimneys and people. Some of the people scream like in Munch's masterpiece. For me the chimney is a symbol of tragedy. Of the unpredictable vulnerability of the human condition as large numbers of my father's family died at Auschwitz. But the sphere can also be read as a giant Covid-19 virus, threating the whole world below it. How many people have had to die without even saying goodbye to their loved ones? Leaving the world alone.
I go on my daily walk through the stunningly beautiful fields. I am having a peaceful and contemplative time, and have a new routine that allows for reflection and artistic creation. I am happy, and, like many people am enjoying many aspects of lockdown. I don't really know how I will return to normal life again. But then I think of all the utterly heart-breaking stories that are happening just now. Our enjoyment of lockdown must be tempered by empathy. In a non- comparable way my childhood existed under the shadow of a vast chimney because my father spoke about what happened in Europe every day.
