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Poetry to help through a pandemic

Lynn Ungar has some words of comfort like a hug to the mind, and her dogs are here to help you too

By Sophia GenoPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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Poetry to help through a pandemic
Photo by Tonik on Unsplash

Pandemic

What if you thought of it

as the Jews consider the Sabbath—

the most sacred of times?

Cease from travel.

Cease from buying and selling.

Give up, just for now,

on trying to make the world

different than it is.

Sing. Pray. Touch only those

to whom you commit your life.

Center down.

And when your body has become still,

reach out with your heart.

Know that we are connected

in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.

(You could hardly deny it now.)

Know that our lives

are in one another’s hands.

(Surely, that has come clear.)

Do not reach out your hands.

Reach out your heart.

Reach out your words.

Reach out all the tendrils

of compassion that move, invisibly,

where we cannot touch.

Promise this world your love–

for better or for worse,

in sickness and in health,

so long as we all shall live.

Lynn Ungar 3-11-20

By Erin Song on Unsplash

Imagine

Imagine with me for a moment--

don't worry, I'm not saying it's real.

Imagine, if you can, that there has not been a calamity, but a great awakening.

pretend, just for a moment, that we all so loved our threatened Earth that we stopped going on cruises,

limited international flights,

worked on cherishing the places where we already are.

In this pretty fantasy, everyone who possibly can stops commuting.

Spends extra time with their kids their pets or their garden.

We have the revelation that everyone needs healthcare, sick leave, steady work.

It occurs to us that healthcare workers are heroes. Also teachers. Not to mention the artists of all kinds who teach us resilience and joy.

Imagine, if you will,

that we turned to our neighbors in mutual aid, trading eggs for milk,checking in on those who are elderly or alone.

Imagine that each of us felt a suddenly called to wonder

In this moment, what does the world need from me?

What are my gifts?

Yes, I know it's just a fantasy.

The world could never change so radically overnight.

But imagine.

Lynn Ungar 3-20-20

By Austin Chan on Unsplash

Choice

There isn’t a right answer.

There just isn’t. The game show

where the bells ring and the points

go up and the confetti falls

because you got the answer

is a lie. The preacher who would assure you

of how to attain salvation

is making it all up. The doctor

who knows just how to fix

what ails you will be sure

of something else tomorrow.

Every choice will

wound someone, heal someone,

build a wall and open a conversation.

Things will always happen

that you can’t foresee.

But you have to choose.

It’s all we have—that little rudder

that we employ in the midst

of all the eddies and rapids,

the current that pulls us

inexorably toward the sea.

The fact that you are swept along

by the river is no excuse.

Watch where you are going.

Lean in toward what you love.

When in doubt, tell the truth.

Lynn Ungar 11-9-2016

By Utsav Shah on Unsplash

Behind the author

Lynn wrote this poem to not only comfort us, but bring a sense of awareness about the pandemic situation.

Lynn Ungar is an online blogger and poetry writer. San Francisco Bay has become her home where she lives with her two Australian shepherds.

There, Lynn and other members learn different views on spirituality. Lynn and other people want to share their findings of wisdom with as many as possible; that is how UU collective was made.

Lynn Ungar's poem was also featured in the Spring 2020 issue of yes! magazine.

In daily life, Lynn also trains dogs in obedience and dancing, and yes I do mean training dogs to dance. Lynn is also a lead minister at CLF, "a Unitarian Universalist congregation without walls". This congregation has members from worldwide who focus on giving acceptance to one another.

Lynn's book Bread and other miracles is an extension of her poems and is available to buy here.

After a long day of news and stress, it is good to be grounded, however you choose to do it.

Lynn's dogs Dingbat and Wombat

Websites

  • She is also a part of The Quest for Meaning, a UU collective on Patheos.com.
  • Her personal website is here, where she has her poems and information on her background.
  • Her dogs also have an advice column where you can vent about your feelings of stress or anything else! Wombat and Dingbat are to comfort you anytime here.

And example of asking advice from Wombat and Dingbat

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About the Creator

Sophia Geno

I love to write about travel, poems, art, and social issues. Stay with me for Korean content, and more!

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