by Emily Tucker
When times are hard
I tell myself and my friends,
That in the future,
Though we can’t see it yet,
There will come another summer
Like the one we had
In 2018.
We will stay up late
Drink prosecco from mugs
Perched on our friend’s rooftops
Get burned on our shoulders
And drop butts on the street.
We will watch England in the World Cup
Hold our breath for full minutes
We’ll throw drinks across pubs
And scream that this time
Football’s coming home.
We will go to Pride,
the same day as a match,
In rainbow print swimsuits.
Steal hats from policemen,
Kiss our friends on the mouths,
And dance in the streets.
England will win,
And Soho will be full.
The city will throb with such
Hot sweaty joy,
That it only takes one person,
to set a whole street off
singing again.
We’ll shrug off the troubles
That taint these bad days
We’ll turn to each other
We’ll laugh and we’ll say
Hold on
Isn’t this just like the Summer
Of 2018?
Emily Tucker | @happyemily93
Emily is a primary school teacher and writer based in North London. She watched the England V Sweden World cup match 3 times during lockdown and has no regrets.