Ode to Covid19

• 

• 

Will we remember when we return to our daily routines

The pain you inflicted on those whose bodies you invaded

The precious lives you stole, isolated from loved ones

Our grief quarantined

Will we remember the dedication of those who helped and healed

And those who worked to provide vital resources

As we waited for the blight to pass

That lives were spared because we stayed home

Will we remember how time changed shape

With no Where to be except here and now

That we breathed long slow breaths in

And out

Will we remember the never ending days

That turned into weeks of Samedays

Watching the waxing and waning moon

To mark the passing months

Will we remember the Earth’s stillness when all busy-ness stopped

The fresher air, the clearer sky

The brighter sparkle of the stars

That spring unfurled from bud to petal to leaf

Will we remember the loneliness of physical distancing

The letters and phone calls to check in with a “Hi”

That meant “I care”

That a gesture of kindness is called love

Will we remember the promise we made

That things would be different once we got through this

That we’d know what we could live without

And what we truly need

And what we truly need

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I started to write this blog in April. By the time it was ready to send out into cyberspace, the pandemic turned to pandemonium. Some folks decided they needed haircuts and invaded various state capitals with their guns. In other places folks broke stay at home orders and invaded parks and beaches. Somehow the blog no longer seemed relevant, so I scrapped it, waited for the news to settle, and wrote another blog.

By the time that one was ready to post, a policeman murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for 8.5 minutes, every brutal and inhumane moment captured on cell phone videos. A great tumult grew, not only in Minneapolis where this grievous act occurred, but all across the nation as people called for justice for Mr. Floyd, and other young men who were killed because of the color of their skin. The outrage grew to protests and marches, and renewed vigor for the Black Lives Matter movement. Sadly, it came with more violence, some by the hand of the government. There were protests around the world, not only in support of Black Lives Matter, but also for the oppressed that cried for justice in their own countries.

At this point I spent a few weeks crying. I was overwhelmed with sadness at the state of the country I live in, and the world; not only for the spread of Covid19 and the damage it’s done, for social injustices that need to be rectified, but also for the Earth herself who is suffering from a global climate crisis. On the first day of summer it was 100.4° above the Arctic Circle in Siberia, and after all the months of staying home and wearing a mask in public, Covid19 is on the rise. I’ve come to believe that Covid19 is an allegory for a greater, psychic dis-ease that is infecting our world. The cure for what ails us is available and free. All we need to do is live in harmony with each other and nature.

• 

Recently I listened to Chants of India by Ravi Shankar and George Harrison. Here are the translated words from Om Saha:

“May the Lord protect us together

May He nourish us together

May we work together uniting our strength for the good of humanity

May our learning be luminous and purposeful

May we never hate one another”