Pandemic opportunity.

 Lynn Unger

Pandemic

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.

      Unger profoundly speaks the opportunity of this pandemic.

Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,

where we cannot touch.

    This period of confinement has reminded, or perhaps taught me, the power of a phone call. The delight when one is called unexpectedly bears witness to the significance in Reach out your words. While death and suffering abound for many,  some of us, only lightly effected, have opportunity to make a difference. Typically when disaster or tragedy strike we respond by doing something. How different now, when the best thing we can do, is stay home. But we have telephone, internet, letters and cards that can Reach out.

Takk for alt,

Al