I thought I'd awaken to a world in mourning.
Heavy clouds crowding, a society storming.
But there's something different on this golden morning.
Something magical in the sunlight, wide and warming.
I see a dad with a stroller taking a jog.
Across the street, a bright-eyed girl chases her dog.
A grandma on a porch fingers her rosaries.
She grins as her young neighbor brings her groceries.
While we might feel small, separate, and all alone,
Our people have never been more closely tethered.
The question isn't if we will weather this unknown,
But how we will weather this unknown together.
So on this meaningful morn, we mourn and we mend.
Like light, we can't be broken, even when we bend.
As one, we will defeat both despair and disease.
We stand with healthcare heroes and all employees;
With families, libraries, schools, waiters, artists;
Businesses, restaurants, and hospitals hit hardest.
We ignite not in the light, but in lack thereof,
For it is in loss that we truly learn to love.
In this chaos, we will discover clarity.
In suffering, we must find solidarity.
For it's our grief that gives us our gratitude,
Shows us how to find hope, if we ever lose it.
So ensure that this ache wasn't endured in vain:
Do not ignore the pain. Give it purpose. Use it.
Read children's books, dance alone to DJ music.
Know that this distance will make our hearts grow fonder.
From a wave of woes our world will emerge stronger.
We'll observe how the burdens braved by humankind
Are also the moments that make us humans kind;
Let every dawn find us courageous, brought closer;
Heeding the light before the fight is over.
When this ends, we'll smile sweetly, finally seeing
In testing times, we became the best of beings.
Amanda Gorman- Youth Poet Laureate
(
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Gorman )
I learned that this small cactus, prickly pear (
https://www.atozflowers.com/flower/opuntia/ )
is a flower which symbolizes hope. We up here in northern Arizona see these cacti along trails. The plants are smaller up north but the blooms still quite beautiful.
Today, I will focus on hope for us, human kind.
Pretty bloom!
@dustyloup I admire these little cacti, they have great spirit to survive up at 7000 feet in elevation. I also learned how to pronounce its Latin name on the Oxford dictionary site. Ms. Gorman's work is so inspiring.
@bubblequeen We need to re-weave a fabric for our country and gifted people such as Ms. Gorman need to be involved.
@olivetreeann Ms. Gorman has a voice we all should know and hear. I have a great deal of respect for cacti, they can really surprise us.