Tag: covid

I can speak of kindness,
of the heart,
of warmth,
of the joy of before, despite now,

I can speak of closeness,
of love,
of holding hands while we’re all in rows,

I can speak of courageousness,
I can speak of strength,
I can speak of resilience,

I can speak of the potency of our inner charisma,
of our undying self-knowledge.

I understand that current times are heartbreaking,
they are tough,
they are causing pain and suffering to many,
ongoing,

and while I acknowledge this,
I will encourage us to band together and become
stronger than ever,

to determine what we can do for one another,
to give credence and hope
to each other.

To be able to place a hand upon another’s shoulder and say,
“I understand what you’re going through,
even though I may not have experienced it this day”

the empathy will shine through like a light unto a
previously-darkened tunnel,

and if the recipient does not want the light,
there is no problem,
perhaps they’ll welcome it tomorrow.

For we have become a little shy and inward
during these times,
afraid of reaching out to humankind,

insular, toward ourselves,
if we open up our hearts,
we’ll feel the warmth of someone else.

To share in what you have,
to delight in sharing a few words with a passing stranger,
to see the smile in one’s eyes above a mask as they pass,
why, that is beauty in and of itself.

The connection between human beings is more than ever
important to people such as you and I,
and we’ll feel the pain and suffering,
ease, ease, ease,

connections are ever so important,
we must keep these linked,
inextricably,

because if we don’t have hands to hold,
no one to lean upon each other,
then who will we have if we start failing
at harnessing our inner power?

© 2020 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
Photo credit: United Nations Covid-19 Response on Unsplash