Hot Pot Magazine

By  LJ Henshall

Crag Side, Beamish, Chopwell, and Penshaw.
A list of places we wanted to see – itemized itineraries
to occupy our minds. We sought solace
in sea spray and stately homes.
Spent hours building the best bucket list.
We organised the rest of our lives, check box
after check box, line after line.

Bucket list full to bursting. Cheeky spoons trip
to the Mile Castle, pitchers poured
at a table for four, and drama rehashed
every time we got smashed.

Lines to be crossed at the end of a night.
Random number generator to decide what to do
next, which place to explore.

But classes continued on Microsoft teams
Breakout rooms a burden for broken mics
and missing members. Group work was grating,
painful and poor. Studying for exams we’d never get to take.

Bucket list forgotten by a two year college course
week long isolations and social distancing.
Beach days delayed in favour of school,
tables marooned in half empty classrooms.

Our new ‘to do’ were a-level guides,
advanced information revision slides.

First set of exams since sats in year six,
our whole generation was shitting bricks.

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L.J. Henshall is a writer from the North East of England who implements key aspects of her hometown into her writing. She is currently an undergraduate Creative Writing student at Edge Hill University with a keen interest for short stories and poetry. L.J.has performed her poetry at the Birmingham Hippodrome as part of the Edge Hill University Slam Poetry team competing at the 2024 UniSlam Festival.  X (twitter) handle: @LJiswriting