I’m a few days late with May’s Poem of the Month, but I think it is a good one… one worth waiting for.

With Covid-19 there has been an opportunity to sit back and assess the current situations in the world today. Somehow, we’ve been fooling ourselves that things will get better on their own. We seem to think that the economy will turn around; the deaths from the pandemic will lessen all over the world, and we will be able to go back to “the way things were” before Covid broke out.

Well, it’s probably not likely that things will be the same at all. And, the quarantining we’ve all been doing has given some of us an opportunity to take stock of our global situation. Yes, Global! Our country is not in this alone… we share the burden of fixing things with peoples in every culture, every country. And it begins by being honest with ourselves. How do we really feel about things? And, are we being true to what we feel? And, furthermore, are we willing to “Stand Up” and be counted?

Something to ponder…

STAND UP

It takes courage to stand up for what you believe
To be true and honest and right!
Yet, it is said that if you don’t stand up.
Wrong will win out, without a fight.

Have the courage to say “No!” Have the courage to face the truth.
Do the right thing because it is right!
Living your life with integrity takes work,
But do it! Do it with all of your might!

It is said that if you don’t stand for something
You’ll fall for anything that sounds true;
But a wise person proportions his belief to the evidence:
Check your sources, do your homework, take the long view.

In politics, if a party stands for nothing but reelection,
Then it indeed stands for nothing worth much.
The world suffers a lot because of the silence
Of the good people who use timidness as a crutch.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent
About things that matter to us, and to the planet.
We might place ourselves in danger when we stand,
But place our children in greater danger when we don’t.

Oh, one more thing about taking a stand:
Be polite, don’t raise your voice, be firm.
Remember, what you believe will depend on what you are.
Let people know, and if need be, reconfirm.

April 2021’s Poem of the Month is meant to speak of Resilience in both the personal and the collective sense. Torn between a poem about personal resilience and a collective group resilience, I opted to introduce the subject from an angle about which I have some experience… personal resilience.

Mary Oliver’s words resonated with me… I mean, really resonated with me. I know that everything that has happened in my life has made me what I am today!! And it has taken resilience to learn and grow from those setbacks and experiences. To paraphrase a thought shared with me by my daughter, Nicole LaFollette (a wonderful poet): “Like everyone else, I am unique.”

It requires a unique form of resilience to overcome the unique setback, whether personal or collective. And, whatever the problem or setback — personal or collective — resilience to overcome and move forward is the responsibility to keep in mind… a personal or a collective responsibility if we are to move forward — either as an individual or as a society.

Remember this: Whatever the question, love is the answer.

RESILIENCE

“Someone I once loved gave me a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand that it was a gift.”
Mary Oliver said those words. I can now relate.
Back then it was different. I was cast adrift.

“Whatever will I do?” “How can I go on?”
The questions… the questions! Would they ever stop?
Panic, then blaming, then a meltdown or two —
Till the light finally dawned one day in a coffee shop.

Writing my feelings — taking a good hard look,
I realized that any change was entirely up to me.
People around me who were happy in their lives
Were ones who had bounced back from adversity.

Resilience is knowing you’re the only one who has
The power and the responsibility to pick yourself up.
Resilience comes from having been given the chance
To work through problems — a bootstrap pull-up.

Charles Darwin was credited with the following statement
(Sharing it here might actually not be so strange.):
“It’s not the strongest nor the smartest of the species that survive,
But the ones who are most responsive to change.”

The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak
Which can snap in its resistance to the storm.
Staying committed to your decisions, but flexible in your approach,
Your power is the power to actually transform!

Resilience is always within your reach
When troubles occur, and you are stymied.
You simply have to decide, and take charge there and then.
There’s light at the end of the tunnel as you proceed.

How to be resilient in the latter part of a pandemic
Is a question on the minds of many people today.
Individually, we’re struggling to maintain our balance,
With the hope of surviving another day.

Globally, the need for resilience is paramount.
We must focus on the positive things to change our course
(That are in our control, I hasten to add),
Moving always forward, using every resource.

With the availability of the Covid-19 vaccines increasing, and the states beginning to open up a bit, it occurred to me that it might be time to write a poem about what that might mean for all of us… how it might look.

What is the transition going to be like for you?

For me, I will probably be ever watchful and careful when out with friends or in public anywhere. And I will try to curb my judgment about how others are coping — all the while doing what I think is best for me. It will not be an instant healing from the trauma that this pandemic has brought. No, as the old adage states, “Time takes time.”

And, as the poem implies, there are no rule books for our ongoing behavior as we hopefully move further and further away from the pandemic. But there are opportunities for each of us to be kinder, more patient and loving with each other.

The wisdom, “Whatever the question, love is the answer,” fits this transition time perfectly.

RETURNING TO NORMAL… OR MOVING FORWARD

A.P. A. D. Hmmm… what does it mean?
Like with other aphorisms, it’s just one more to learn:
Anticipatory Post-pandemic Apprehension Disorder…
There! It’s named! So, what is the concern?

We’ve gotten used to social distancing and washing our hands.
We forget, and wear our masks even when we’re home alone!
We bump elbows, do air hugs — blow kisses, too.
It has become for us, our comfort zone.

Currently, science is winning over political suppositions;
There’s light at the end of the tunnel, at last.
People are lining up for vaccines.
Though a long time coming, relief is in the forecast.

In the rush to return to “normal” we need to decide
What parts of “normal” are worth rushing back to.
We have an opportunity to design a kinder world.
We can predict our future by creating it. It’s true!

(Besides, “normal” is an illusion;
It depends on where you lie.
What is “normal” for the spider
Is certain chaos for the fly!)

Look at it like this: a parable, if you will:
Suppose everybody went away on an extended trip.
In their absence the world moved and changed.
And, when they returned there was a new landing strip!

The end of the pandemic is finally in sight.
There will be a new set of rules, not like before.
But what are they? The mind is boggled a bit.
Transitions are tricky! It’s disconcerting…and more!

The trauma of change, the emotional upheaval,
Whether you’ve experienced the loss of loved ones, or not,
Has left its mark — has left us uncertain;
But now it is hopeful, and better by a long shot!

Take it easy as you go — take baby steps first!
It won’t be the same as it was before.
It’ll be different now, maybe even better.
Have fun as you go — as you continue to explore.

Be patient and kind with yourself, and with others.
Each one of us heals at a different rate.
Accept that others are dealing with stuff, too.
Believe it will get better, as the fears abate.