Things were already bad
when the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Heart-achingly bad.
A chasm between the left and right,
hate crimes on the rise,
our most basic rights under threat.
And through it, I felt my feelings
(a superpower, you know.)
Rage,
Disappointment,
Awe,
Soul-shaking grief.
---
Now 6 months in
and things are more grim:
Needless death, joblessness, worsening violence,
raging fires creating unbreathable air.
The list goes on.
The sadness remains, of course.
But along with it
come wonder and curiosity
about society’s broken places
revealed by the state of things.
Are we on the verge
of much-needed healing and change?
If we do not turn away, I think
from the work
of being present with our feelings.
A radical starting point.
—
We cannot mend
what hasn’t been confronted.
Isn’t ignorance what landed us here?
The more we deny,
the greater the devastation.
Only from stillness
am I able to reflect, grieve, listen,
learn, protest, create,
act, listen more,
and love, love, love.
Despite the increased threats
and isolation
May we all remain curious
about the Universe
and our tender hearts.
May we ease the pain
of unlearned lessons.
Oh my…I’ve read this a number of times to remind myself to keep feeling…whether it’s rage, grief, loss and especially gratitude and registering small pleasures. When I read an old New Yorker article recently about the numbness nd the compassion fatigue experienced by an ER doc, it was with growing understanding.
It’s harder but so vital to seek out small things that bring us pleasure as we watch the news and debates less and less (in my case). Gotta blog about walking the dogs, the small orchid on my table, the special joys of the River Bark trees and redwood in the backyard of my current rental . Keep writing!
Oh my…I’ve read this a number of times to remind myself to keep feeling…whether it’s rage, grief, loss and especially gratitude and registering small pleasures. When I read an old New Yorker article recently about the numbness nd the compassion fatigue experienced by an ER doc, it was with growing understanding.
It’s harder but so vital to seek out small things that bring us pleasure as we watch the news and debates less and less (in my case). Gotta blog about walking the dogs, the small orchid on my table, the special joys of the River Bark trees and redwood in the backyard of my current rental . Keep writing!