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I was laid off for ten weeks at the start of the pandemic. This forced me to confront not only my dissatisfaction with life at that point, but also pain I have been carrying around for many years. Meanwhile, the planet is in a terrible ecological state, and its citizens are increasingly at odds with one another. The Earth is crying out for healing and purpose and hope. So are we.
The Long Defeat that Brings Us What We Know
He loves the beach.
He walks barefoot along the shoreline
as close to the water without getting wet
while as far away from people as possible.
Like every man, he experiences
loss, failure, isolation, accusations
numerous as the grains of sand
between his burning toes.
The beach is where he finds peace.
It is his favourite place to pray
to the One who formed this beauty
as a gift to all who would receive it.
He prays for the world
which once again suffers so much.
He prays it will not be swept away
by rising tides of hatred.
He prays for his family
he prays for his friends
he prays for his enemies
he prays to be able to tell the difference.
He rests at the end of a concrete pier.
"I have not been overcome",
he proclaims to the setting sun,
"and that will have to do for now."
*The title is a line from the poem “Neruda, the Wine”, by Muriel Rukeyser
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