When we heal the Earth, we heal ourselves.
—David Orr
It has been a very difficult time for us, these past three odd months, having to come to terms with a pandemic that has wreaked havoc globally on a scale that has been unprecedented so far! However, this has also been time for many artists, writers and creative people to have come together to create and share their work, that has resonated with the rest of us. Of the many souls who have been trying to find grace in the free-fall brought on by the pandemic, one name is that of Kitty O’Meara, who’s now considered to be the poet laureate of the pandemic. If you read her prose poem, you’ll know why.
Overcome by a deep sense of anxiety, sadness and pain, she wrote “And the people stayed home,” —a poem that has now gone viral, with countless shares on social media that tells you why it resonates with so many of us. Kitty’s words bring solace and hope amid the doom and gloom as it aims to dispel the darkness and the pessimism wrought by the uncertainties of our lives, and more importantly, it leaves us feeling hopeful that this dark phase of our lives will be over someday soon when we shall re-think new ways of co-habiting peacefully and harmoniously with Mother Nature.
Her concluding lines are evidence of the belief that there is definitely some good that can come out of this collective state of “together, apart.”
Here goes the poem, followed by a recitation of the same. And when you do read/listen to it, it let me know your thoughts— Did it bring in you a sense of hope? Did it soothe you? Did it make you feel lighter? Or perhaps, better? It did, to me.
“And the people stayed home.
And read books, and listened, and rested,
and exercised, and made art,
and played games,
and learned new ways of being,
and were still.
And listened more deeply.
Some meditated, some prayed, some danced.
Some met their shadows.
And the people began to think differently.
And the people healed.
And, in the absence of people
living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways,
the earth began to heal.
And when the danger passed,
and the people joined together again,
they grieved their losses, and made new choices,
and dreamed new images, and created new ways
to live and heal the earth fully,
as they had been healed.
********
#WordlessWednesday is our weekly blog hop (hosted by Natasha and yours truly).
If you’re interested, do join us. The rules are simple:
Post a picture on your blog. It could be from life’s wondrous or wicked moments, your wanderlust days, or simply random shots that caught your fancy.
Your post could be as wordy or wordless as you please! We bet you already know why we also call this blog hop the “not-so-wordless Wednesday.”
All we ask of you is to add our badge to your post and a backlink to our posts.
We’d love it if you read, comment and share the posts linked here and connect with some of the most fascinating bloggers.
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That’s a fabulous photo and wonderfully helpful word to go with it! Thanks for posting 🙂
Feel free to share at My Corner of the World
Lovely poem! ♥
Carmen closed her blog.
Starting next Wednesday, her table of links for Wordless Wednesday appears on my blog, http://povestiripescurt.blogspot.com
That’s a beautiful poem, Esha💗😸Clean Pawkisses for a Happy Caturday. Stay Safe Healthy and Yourselfie🙏🐾😽💞
What a beautiful poem <3
Maybe this is the way we stop taking earth for granted. Maybe.
It’s a lovely poem! Stay well.
Practically, when we heal ourselves, everything around us starts to heal also.
But I think we have to start wit us. Everything else comes after!
Thank you for linking, dear Esha!
All the best and stay safe!
I loved this poem when I first read it. And it had to go viral. It connects on a different level. Thanks for writing this post and sharing that hope with all of us. Hugs. Please take care and stay safe.
Hope is all we have left amid these tiring times. Thank you for sharing this beautiful message, Esha.
((hugs))
Absolutely, Veronica! There’s too much of negative and news doing the rounds right now, that I felt we badly need some hope and some optimism to lead us in the days to come.
Stay safe and stay in, my friend!
Hugs right back,
Esha
Kitty’s poem resonates the truth that is encapsulated in the quote you shared, “When we heal the Earth, we heal ourselves.”. I too came across this poem on WA and loved it.
Every coin has two sides. Like Mae pointed out there is hope and there is despair. But in the end we all need to “heal”
Keep Safe…… For fantastic times that are coming!
Being positive is good, but this poem makes me sad because it doesn’t take account of the people whose have lost their jobs, their hope of a next meal, their precarious life as a homeless person, and above all have lost loved ones to the virus or have lost their lives. I will try to see the brighter side, but it’s hard.
be well… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Lovely poem… a much needed one in these times.
I like this poem because it gives hope, in these not very cheerful times all over the world we badly need that !
I totally agree with you on this. That’s the reason I shared it. People are spreading fears and there is a threat of death looming large on us. The little time we have should be spent happily.
Such a hopeful poem, amidst the gloom. Loved it when I first read it. Thanks for the reminder, Esha.
Much love and light to you and yours.
It is, Natasha! Every day comes with a new set of challenges but a few hopeful words always work their magic on us, leaving us optimistic and happy! Love and light to you too, dear friend! <3
Yes, I had read it on a school WA group but it sounded so calming to read it on your beautiful blog. Sorry I’m not joining in this month as I will be busy with the A2Z apart from homeschooling, housework and getting bored too
No worries, Sunita. I totally understand that we all have a new set of priorities now. Good luck with the A2Z! Would love to have you back on our blog hop whenever you are ready!
So glad to know you loved Kitty’s poem. In the midst if a lot of fear-mongering, anything calming can feel very reassuring. That’s why I shared it.
Have a great week ahead, Sunita.
Best wishes
Beautiful post.
Thank you very much, Robert.
Beautiful poem. So relevant for these times. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you very much, Laurie. Makes so much sense to be optimistic during these trying times, right?
Lovely to come across a positive message in the pessimistic times. Thanks for sharing Esha.
So happy to know you liked it, Keith. I shared it because it felt very reassuring to me during these challenging times!
Thank you for stopping by Keith.