New Normal?
An unexpected shift
At first so shocking,
So unsettling,
So off-center.
Fear began without understanding.
A kidney donation surgery canceled.
Fury and outrage, “Why?”
And then, clarity…”Oh, Covid-19.”
One family flees the city.
Another is out of the country.
One father still commuting
Reality sinks in.
Governors take charge while
Others refuse and stay the party line.
Social distancing in stores,
But not on Spring break beaches.
Mail is wiped down
And not read for days.
Family brings food to our picnic
Table, which becomes a wipe down station.
Masks, finally, masks and
Parking lots closed. Warning tickets
On windshields and relinquishing
To this now, “new normal.”
As weeks drone by
Strange shifts begin.
A rise in peace and an extravagance
Of time, with abiding in joy.
There is time to “be.”
Time to notice, and to see.
Time to feel each breath rise and fall.
Realizing each breath is a gift.
Quiet, except the ferry through Rich Passage.
No gardeners, nor lawn service,
No dental appointments, no acupuncture.
No errands. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet.
A new way of being begins.
Working out before dawn.
Hearing an eerie hooting of an owl.
Drinking in living on Earth.
Sun appearing over the Cascades…
Rushing across the Sound to my porch.
Bees buzz in cherry trees while robins find worms.
Time to watch a hummingbird’s flight.
Fear: The unknown. The death count rising.
School closures. Long awaited trips cancelled.
Political rants. Saying “no” to network news.
Uncertainty mounts. “When will this end?”
The weight on families who
Juggle work and homeschooling.
Prayers said for those on the front lines.
For some, each day holds un-quieted fear.
When will this stop? What will be next?
We lie down in a cruciform posture,
Our palms open to King Jesus.
Help us. Heal us. Please show us the way.