London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

Martin Figura creates poetic record of life during pandemic at Salisbury hospital

Martin Figura creates poetic record of life during pandemic at Salisbury hospital

Figura worked with staff to produce poems reflecting their experiences during the Covid crisis

One poem imagines an NHS nightshift worker at the height of the coronavirus crisis as an astronaut, adrift and untethered from a spacecraft. Another touches on the difficulty of trying to console a patient when the comfort of a smile is obscured by a mask.

The feelings of horror, sadness, isolation and frustration that NHS staff and volunteers endured at the height of the pandemic have been crystallised in verse as part of a spoken word collection at Salisbury district hospital.

The poet Martin Figura was commissioned by the Wiltshire hospital to help staff deeply affected by the pandemic work through their ordeals and create an artistic record of their experiences.

Dr Kate Jenkins, a clinical psychologist for the intensive care unit, said it was important to offer different ways for people to recover. “Reflection on traumatic events helps people move forward, but people want to reflect in different ways,” she said.

As well as working at the hospital, Jenkins was one of the first patients admitted to it with Covid. “It was shocking not to be able to see people’s faces because of masks, being isolated from friends and family. To be that vulnerable and alone.”

After she spoke to Figura about her experiences, he produced the poem Isolation and Human Kindness. It ends on what seems like a touching note of gratitude to the colleague and institution that saved her: “this family, these friends, this work”.

Jenkins said the legacy element of the project, which was backed by the hospital’s League of Friends and the charity Stars Appeal, was also important. Future generations would be able to look at the death figures, but may also be able to feel the emotion of the times through projects like this, she said.

Figura said the idea was not to portray them as heroes but to reflect honestly and vividly what they had been through. He held workshops and talked to staff in their workplaces. He also donned PPE so he could feel something of what it must have been like. “There was a huge mix of emotions – pride, helplessness, exhaustion,” he said. “I was very struck by how exhausted they were, especially during the second wave.”

Figura, who will read the poems during a series of shows in Salisbury in September, was particularly struck by the experience of Carrie Jones, an operational matron for medicine, who told how she had struggled when she was not at the hospital or at home to see people going about life as normal.

She said: “I found the outside world hard – that feeling of things carrying on as normal, laughing and giggling while we were having this very traumatic experience. It was two different worlds.”

Figura produced a poem called Space based on what Jones told him: “The news cannot be faced … Tesco’s empty shelves cannot be faced … the chattering school drop cannot be faced.”

“I think he has captured my feelings profoundly,” Jones said. “Reading the poem now does bring back a lot of the thoughts and feelings I had at the time.”

The number of Covid patients at the hospital has crept up again in the past week, with 11 Covid patients in the hospital and four on the intensive care unit. It reported its 218th death. “I hope we don’t have to go through it all again,” said Jones. “But if we do, I think we will be more equipped to deal with it.”

Isolation and Human Kindness

The limits of heal thy self
a cough with each deep breath
The Mexican wave of eyebrows
a slow revelation of one of us
Five nights ghosted in side-room isolation
the time it takes to ask for a gloved hand
The comfort of appetite, of recovery
a little mash with gravy
The boundless gratitude for kindness, luck:
this family, these friends, this work

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×