‘I Wake With Wonder’
| Every Morning I wake with wonder and dive into the day I grasp for my phone like a lifeline, a buoy, I rise among the displaced dreams of yore Supplanted plans, disrupted from the year So distanced from all social life before I set out on my way To make snacks for three kids because that’s all I seem to do with them here all the damn day And it’s hard work. ‘Cause it’s heart work. This is artwork. I rise Like the sap in the maple tree knowing it’s time to feed its budding branches. Like seedlings struggling towards the light, even though I need a baptism of magic waters to cure all that aches I don my gowns and masks and gloves Tend to the sick, the lost, the tired, the dead. I say a prayer, talk to God think of things I love: Birds and flowers and books dandelions, earthworms, mosses, all those things I never thought to love, or not enough. I rise even when the news of the day makes me want to stay in bed Even when the outlook is bleak: I’ve not seen my eighth graders smile. Or smirk. my neighbor cut down the massive oak that shaded my yard, My wife died alone In an skilled nursing facility bed. Oh yes I mourn those we have lost And the cost of human lives But still I rise Still ire eyes Cry for those who are gone Who have marched on Still fire eyes Burn for justice denied Flame hot for truth We rise even when our spirits feel deflated because this too shall be past because we are made of stardust I am A new breath in an older body with A future to ponder. I no longer take hugs for granted. The music at church yesterday, with full choir, was glorious. I sing of loss and grief and hope, Of joy and pain and memory, Of yesterday and tomorrow. I became best friends with my computer. And learned something spectacular: Disconnection has connected us more than ever. The Zoom “LEAVE” button calls for me So, I am easing out of this rabbit hole I will find my equilibrium and my verve Be who I am. Lose 40 lbs and improve my mental health meet every patient as they are and care for them as best I can Try to celebrate The fact of my existence Birds tweeting, wind blowing, leaves rustling. I notice it all now. I like this new world. Even though I’m in my nineties, I have learned to love more the old man across the hall who has trouble with his eyes. the touchy woman down the street In this world of Bad audio connections, I have learned to listen After such stillness, Nothing’s the same. I rise on this new day out of bed like a miracle. I tie my own shoes. I linger with a full pot of Barry’s Irish tea, each slurp an act of contemplative prayer I spend so many days watching my child grow mourning dove pretends to be an owl, a cardinal rides a slip of a limb, up and down. What was simple is made extravagant. So I lift my gaze Forward, slowly To hike up, not give up To sing out, not cry out to like who I am, even when, especially when, I stand alone. return to my books to find support to make the coffee. to watch ducklings drop to waterglory following Mama hen through fervent streams. To fill each day, not miss one to see the world full on. to pace the house at midnight, watching the moon wax and wane, to live and love to write to work to laugh to share to fight To create a world of generosity A world where we are inspired To help each other in every moment So rise, my friends, rise up All one heart Be the change and when you wonder How you will likely spend your life With the time left to borrow Know that To fight is to be human, for times short or longer, For through the struggle, we may hope to become stronger. Morning Edition asked NPR’s audience to write a poem using Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” as inspiration. NPR’s resident poet Kwame Alexander took lines from submissions to create a community poem about the challenges of the past year and hope for times ahead. https://www.npr.org/2021/05/28/1000234056/i-wake-with-wonder-a-crowdsourced-poem-of-pandemic-pain-and-hope |
A Crowdsourced Poem Of Pandemic Pain And Hope