Poetry, Essays and Art By J.H. Dickinson from All-Creatures.org

 

Humanly viral

As the Earth shakes us.
Life trembles and reminds us
of fragile born,
human state.
Of denial of place,
within nature.

It began in a market of animal cruelty
and became humanly viral.

Such sorrow, fear and loss…
Is mortality creating a simplicity?
A road to human humility?

I ripple with compassion for dying elderly
weathered, wise soul.
Voice reaching out digitally across the miles
to say goodbye to grandchild.
Alone in isolated clinical
structure of hope-failed facility.

It breaks our hearts.

Yet I wonder at the transformation of Venice canals,
green fields and silent pathways of former
streets, scurrying with pulsing
materialism.

I witness birds in no danger
or fear of the crown shaped virus
that seeks us out.
I see no panic in the stretches of pussycat paws
and green eyed reflection.
As nature stares back
and looks into me.

I wonder.
I ponder.
I am still and in the moment.
How long has it been since I can recall such quiet?

Is this our time to awaken
to our place in existence?
To care.

To co-share and create spaces of responsibility,
humility.
To take cruelty from the table.
Compassion into the bank account.
Liberating the skies from empty planes and the roads from
frantic cars, equipped with panic buying shoppers.

Is there the smallest possibility...
to try again.
That something may be born from our own suffering.

A viral spread
of simplicity.

Of human humility.

In a remote spot of Northumberland, England...

Go on to: Humans
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