Isolation Oscillation – Bearing the Darkness
by me
My breath in my facemask fogs up my glasses
I’m just one of the many, one of the masses
Separated, six feet apart
Yet all in one boat and part of one Heart
I’ve long suspected we need each other
We children of God and Earth, our mother
Now all the more I’m less distracted
From facing the fact that we’re all impacted
Less distracted, but more confused
About how to live with so much to lose
How to cherish each shining hour
When something so lethal holds such power
Breathing in, my glasses clear
Breathing out, more fog, oh dear
And so it is, this oscillation
Twixt confidence and consternation
A rise and fall, a variation
A surge of certain, then hesitation
A creative wave, then, why should I care?
A vexing vibration, twixt hope and despair
I live on a spectrum twixt yes and no
An alternation, an ebb and flow
And in my emotions I glide on an arc
From light and hope to fear and dark
And now Easter comes with resurrection
But joy must be mixed with sober reflection
Joy must be tempered and pain not shut out
As we raise our jubilant Easter shout
The robins rejoice but take nothing for granted
They search for their food with one eye slanted
They scurry along then freeze, stretching high
To scan the yard for reason to fly
Robins rise with cheerful song
They do their work the whole day long
They have a method that keeps them steady
A confident practice that keeps them ready
And so I manage my oscillation
With Methodist determination
To practice the gifts that I do best
To rise with resolve and then to rest
I doubt I’m protected from all alarms
But I know I’m sustained in loving Arms.
Okay, so that poem we’ll call my version of
faith, in the age of pandemic.
Everlasting Arms 