It was a very tender time,
confusion and wishing
for answers, missing
faces, old acquaintances,
laughter, and the precious touch of hands–
Rushing, as we had, through life
so busy, filling
calendars, stilling
questions, planning purchases,
always, looking past our lives and loves–
Contemplate and turn the mind.
Turn the mind and change the world.
What we do next, matters.
We knew it, and we know it better now.
It was a nearly-over time,
last chances ending
recourse, earth sending
farewells, life disappearing
quickly, like the memory of bees–
Foolishly, we’d missed our life,
damaged earth, bleeding
woundedness, needing
triage, new imaginings
growing, possibilities remained–
Contemplate and turn the mind.
Turn the mind and change the world.
What we do next, matters.
We knew it, and we know it better now.
It was a reacquainting time,
ancient dreams singing
rising hope, bringing
answers, deeper mysteries
pausing, being sacristans to spring–
Caring, we embraced our life,
verdant shoots rising
in gardens, surprising
knowing, better dances had begun–
Contemplate and turn the mind.
Turn the mind and change the world.
What we do next, matters.
We knew it, and we know it better now.
THE DAILY ROUND 
yes!
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Thank you, Jennifer. Yes to hopeful action is what we need. Joy and gentle peace to you; be safe and well. 🙂
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May we not fall back into the heedlessness of our past, but instead move *forward* with pure intentions, greater consciousness, and dogged determination to make sure we don’t lose the priceless gains we’ve gathered over these months of isolation.
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I join you in this prayer, Yacoob! Thank you for your beautiful words; I know they come from your heart. I hope you and your beloveds are safe and well. Gentle peace.
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I pray more than ever that we turn our minds, retrieve them from technologies grasp and return to what matters. Life with all of its mysteries and wonders, life of close relationships and caring, life that is alive with new awareness that screams “I finally get it.” We needed to be stopped dead in our tracks to pay attention at last. Now we hear hear the bird song and feel the rain drops kiss our faces. Please wake up world. Every one of us is needed to move us forward….Thanks Kitty….VK 🙂
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Thank you, VK; it’s kind of you to respond, and with your perpetual hope and positive energy. Some days it’s hard to remain hopeful in the face of blatant selfishness and determined stupidity, although I credit it to fear and truly desperate circumstances, and hope for its abatement and comfort. And transformation is equally onerous and unsettling, even when it offers the better way…onward, in balance and hope. Thank you! I hope you are safe and well. xoxo
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Oh, how I hope we change our ways, but I fear many are rushing back to normal. I loved this. You have such a wonderful way with words.xxx
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Many are rushing back, it’s true, but I think as many or more are not, and we can at least continue the actions we believe in renewed, I hope, in the fact what we do is necessary, right, and saves what lives it can.
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What a beautiful poem. I would love to share your writing.
Vera
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Dear Kitty, I hope you are well. I work at the São Paulo Opera House and out ballet dancers have produced a short video piece based on the words from “In the Time of Pandemic”. It came together really beautiful, and I’d like to ask for your permission to put it online. There’s absolutely no commercial purposes in it, and all the artists have donated their talent for free as they got so mesmerised by the words. As you know Brazil is in a particularly difficult situation around the pandemic, and our artists’ community is trying to offer people comfort and hope.
We would be happy to send you the final video as a gift as well.
Thank you very much in advance.
Love,
Luiz
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Hello, Luiz; I’m sending you an e-mail. It sounds like a beautiful use of the poem, but I have some questions. Be safe and well; gentle peace.
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