Concept Piece - In The Grass

Grass is tickling my body. I lay on my back gazing at the vast, sunny blue sky. It’s peppered with a few fluffy white clouds that nonchalantly drift by. I watch as aeroplanes soar overhead - staining the perfectly blue canvas with their fuel ejections. I can hear traffic shaking past from a nearby motorway. The wind gingerly blows against my recently shaven head – triggered by the ban on barbers being open during lockdown. Hundreds of lush, little green stems rub up against my bare legs and arms - they itch ever so slightly. They’re cold – I’ve sat in an area of shade where the grass hasn’t been attacked by the sun’s rays. Metres away it’s dead and wilted. I’ve chosen an immaculate sweet-smelling emerald patch. I take a moment to stay still and relax. I’ve been out on a walk for a while now and my feet have begun to ache.

Around me are countless minuscule, scurrying creatures – despite human’s lock down during the Covid-19 crisis – continuing to work. In the metropolis of grass surrounding me there are ants, grasshoppers, common flies, bees, wasps and more continuing with their daily commute and work shifts. They are unaware of what the world has been suffering with since the virus first broke out from China’s borders. As humans stay still and shy away from public transport, workplaces and large gatherings, insects do not. Like something out of a Pixar film, these creatures continue to shop, to work and to socialise. They do not stay apart; they are not scared to cross each other in the streets. For a moment, I have returned to normality. For the first time in months I am surrounded by crowds.