The Bluetooth speaker sat on the floor playing a pop hit song. It was unconnected to power and drew down on its battery the songs that kept him moderately sane. The song was nondescript but the melody was memorable, he had heard it several times before but couldn’t whistle the tune or sing the chorus.
He sat at his desk with its Turkish walnut veneer and could not help to think that the speaker, its draining battery, and the familiarity of the pop music was a perfect analogy to the lockdown. A melody that had a flurry of words carried by a repetitive beat with a simple message and a modicum of feel-good vibes. The speaker itself represented deeper unspoken feelings. His drive and ability to see this through was finite, his self-belief had a limit, the zest for life that carved the smile in his face was turning sour; his battery was low.