Friday poem: ‘Sabbatical’ by Yasmin Blake

Sabbatical

Quite frankly, you’d had enough.

Britain was a dystopia.

You’d take some time off –

and head to Ethiopia.

Not for you a life of grandkids

watching Brave or Zootopia.

Instead this is what you did.

You went to Ethiopia.

The Ancients once thrived there

before we became dopier

and dopier, and fell to despair.

And so: Ethiopia.

I’ve not seen you since.

With the world ropier

and ropier, it’s easy to convince

me that your trip to Ethiopia

was a necessary phase,

designed to help me cope with a

certain pervasive malaise.

Will you be back from Ethiopia?

They say they need you at the office.

They say that they hope you are

alive, and in one piece.

We want him back, Ethiopia!

Yasmin Blake