I’m starting
to, believe the ocean’s much like you...
Comfort
Warmth
The deep inhales and
exhales
The floodwaters rise
and they recede
The planets align
for a moment but again
Go their separate
ways
The world is on
fire, but then the desert blooms
And the Sequoias
seed
The hurricanes come
And eventually
someone comes to tow away the barge
On your lawn.
Diseases plague us
And then fade into
the background
This too shall
pass.
There is no cocoon
or womb to hold us,
We like lighthouses
against the storm,
Are battered,
bruised, afraid, and frustrated
The news, bringing
tidings of divisions and war
Rage, separations,
and lockdown orders.
You
too shall pass
And you hope it’s
not the cough come to get you
But you feel the
sting, why weren’t the others so lucky?
Emmanuel rings a
little hollow
When you’re alone for five weeks
And you still can’t
breathe normally;
Virtual realities
become normalities and
And I miss hugs.
Saturn and Jupiter
dance in the sky
But all our
dancehalls are closed.
We brush up against
so many
Who are feeling
under the weather--
But when it rains, you
can grab an umbrella
Or dance in it,
And when it snows
you can build castles
Or cuddle up
indoors.
Each year the
hurricanes come,
And the important
part is not how strong they are
But how we weather
them
How we respond.
When the wave comes,
you can duck under, jump over,
Try to ride it or let it give
you a twirl, but you
Can’t stop the
waves from coming.
So if you find
yourself isolated.
Alone.
Stressed.
Hurting.
Sure, reach
out, fix what you can.
But take this time
as an invitation…
And invitation to
slow down, mourn, rest.
And invitation to
write, to paint, to sing.
To write letters to
the ones you’ve lost touch with.
To work on those
projects you’ve been thinking of doing.
Or not.
Or find a front line
and start fighting for people in need.
And to those of you
who are fighting…
It’s okay.
It’s
going to be okay.
This storm will
pass.
A new year is
coming,
And whether it is
better or worse...
Is a decision that's yours to make.
The year is 2020,
And I have seen
Such sunrises and
sunsets,
Love bursting
through the seams, weddings whose joy
Could not be robbed
by mask orders or social distancing
Or even being capped
at 16.
I have seen people
around the globe
Reaching out to
those left without work and hungry
I have seen teachers
whose love for their students shines through
The sometimes farce
of online teaching
And doctors and
nurses giving their lives,
Risking their lives
To try and save a
few.
I have seen
communities and friends who in love
Gather around each
other
And others who in
love maintain their distance.
We are navigating
uncharted waters, I mean,
Theoretically, every
flu season,
Our cough could kill
someone,
But we as a species
are wrestling with huge responsibility
And our responses
are many, and varied
And we mostly try to
do our best, and
Try to maintain our
humanity.
It’s Christmas,
and
If there’s a God,
I believe He is with
us.
Laughing and crying with us.
In this.
In all of it.
I wish the religious
folks got that because if they did
They wouldn’t need
politicians to validate them
Nor would they feel
threatened by those who don’t
See them.
The manger story is
a story of a human race
Loved.
Seen.
Embraced in its
entirety
“The hungry He has filled with good things.”
His favour rests on
humanity
And His word is peace.
Believe me, I hear
you
I see the
Hondurans on their rooftops,
And the Armenians
and Azerbaijanis at each other’s throats
I see the Uighurs
and the Belarusians imprisoned and the racism
And the rapists
acquitted and
The callousness and
corruption of those in power.
I hear the
conspiracy theories.
But there is still
So
Much
Joy.
Feel free to re-celebrate Thanksgiving,
To go
back and count your blessings.
Yes beloved, you
have lost
And you are going to
lose everything.
Every peak and
valley eventually flatlines
Into the sea.
But it’s a
wonderful life
And the views from
those peaks!
And oh, the things
we find in those valleys!
You can count it all
as loss or try to analyze
The ups and downs
and see which one comes out on top
But I think that misses the point of breathing.
So put up your lights.
Sing out loud.
Dance, even if it’s
in your living room by yourself.
Play games.
Give thanks.
Write letters.
Make cookies.
Celebrate.
Taste and see.
Life is today.
Joy is today.
And joy is here.
*****
James Metelak is a poet, activist, singer-songwriter, and photographer based in Central Asia. His 2 books of poetry are available on Amazon Kindle, his music is available on Bandcamp, and his photography is on Instagram.
