Voice at the Window: One Hundred Gratitude Poems Written During Lockdown

‘Voice at the Window’ is a collection of 100 daily gratitude poems written during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020. This poetry book was published in October 2020 thanks to a lovely bunch of supporters on Kickstarter!

Whilst struggling with winter blues, I decided to stop scrolling on social media and post one gratitude poem a day instead. I thought that even if no one read them it would do me good. I began writing on 26th February. It was initially a project for lent, with the intention of writing 40 poems, but by that time, the UK was in full lockdown and coronavirus was sweeping the globe. The response to the poems was really positive, and with encouragement from family and friends, I kept going until I reached 100. I think the poems really resonated with people as we were all going through this strange, empty and anxious time, and we were going through it together, but sealed off in our own little boxes.

My hope is that this collection of poems will speak to the heart and serve as a reminder to be thankful, even if things seem impossible at the moment. There is good in each day, we just have to remember to look for it.

This is a paperback collection of 100 gratitude poems. You can see more on my Instagram page (Instagram.com/elisabethpikewriter). You can get the book in my Etsy shop here or on Amazon here.

Here are two of the poems from the book-

‘Gratitude #57

I turn to see the bright field
at dusk,
in the inky blue of bedtime,
and then first thing
in the morning,
where it glows against the
warming sky like a beacon
or a flash of hope.

It is a new day.’

‘Gratitude #59

Dear birds,
please be our healers,
our message bringers,
our sweet talkers.
Whether we be city dwellers
or country folk,
you birds are the only ones
who can visit us all.
Whether we have lost our best friend,
or are tethered to our home,
whether we are lonely or overcrowded,
may your gentle ‘per-wit’,
your ‘chee-chee’,
your slow ‘coo-coo’
be a balm to our souls.
May we sleep like birds of the air
who know they have a nest.
May we wake in the morning
like sparrows who know
that they are cared for.
And wherever we are,
may we find an open window
and listen.’