As a poet, I think, self-interrogate and share my deep dives in poetry. So, forgive me, if I bend the rules of this challenge, ever so slightly, by sharing my Corona Verses.
I recognize this is a revolutionary moment on the world stage and possibly personally transformative, too. Being on lockdown, and not being encouraged to go outside, has meant turning inward (even more than usual) for me as a writer.
Corona Verses
We can’t simply return to how we were after a crisis—
our homes have become cocoons for radical transformation
Others lives, we finally realize, depend on us and vice versa,
either we change our ways, now, or perish alone-together...
And, if we survive, we might ask of this benevolent master:
Tell us, what new fast can we add to our days ahead?
The same way that Lent or Ramadan are spiritual reminders,
we should consider what sacrifice this pandemic asks of us.
What extreme limit have we reached, or trespassed?
As Laozi says: "Turning back is how the Way moves."
Don't bemoan your four walls, give thanks, for your necessary isolation
and pray to emerge from this chrysalis into a new consciousness.
Re: Birth
So, what does it mean to be reborn?
It's having to relearn the basics:
how to walk, talk and eat... our words
Did you ever imagine the day when
we would have to be taught, as adults,
how to wash our hands... of our sins?
Time to sit, in humility, listen
and assume that we, really, know nothing.
Timeout
So, what does it feel like
to be grounded, globally
sent to our rooms
like errant children
privileges suspended
and told to think hard
about why we got here
and how we'll get out?
Tell me, what’s your exit plan?
©Yahia Lababidi, author of Revolutions of the Heart