Pandemic
by Lynn Ungar
[Listen to Audio!]
 What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath —
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.
And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.
Promise this world your love–
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.
About the Author: Lynn Ungar is a poet, and wrote this poem on March 11, 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Latest Community Insights  |
Pandemic
How do you relate to the invitation of this poem to view this as a sacred time? As structures around you are changing quite drastically, what openings of gratitude do you feel? What helps you move beyond fear and root in the warmth of your heart? |
| SC wrote: My heart feels deep relief at what is remembered within me as I read these words. Such gratitude to Lynn for writing and Awakin for sharing out. "The Great Turning" as Joanna Macy describes … |
| PK wrote: Feeling of love and compassion filled my heard as I read this poem three times in a row. As it started reverberating in my heart, I noticed a smile on face. Usually, I am a serious person and almost i… |
| David Doane wrote: All the world and all time and each of us are expressions of God, so the world and time and we are sacred. A time of pandemic makes it more obvious that we are all in this world together, and since we… |
| Jagdish P Dave wrote: Sound of Silence! In the noisy and busy world of doing and having, we tend forget to listen to the inner quiet and wise voice of the heart, the soul. Our minds get filled with fear, anger, annoyance, … |
| Amy wrote: Oh my! How Very Beautiful!â¤ï¸… |
| Mariette wrote: This is happening FOR us, not to us. In every challenge and supposed destruction, there is an opportunity for construction. The fallen leaves turn into compost. The undoing of past beliefs of separati… |
| Jasky wrote: A text I received last month that I thought you may enjoy reading. “China in Silence” by Shi Liang, early February 2020 |
| Mark wrote: Another related poem I enjoyed …
Lockdown –Fr. Richard Hendrick, OFM March 13th 2020
Yes there is fear. Yes there is isolation. Yes there is panic buying. Yes there is sickness. Ye… |
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