WE
ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
A
Poem from the Covid-19 Pandemic
There
is a song
“The
Saints Go Marching in”
You probably know it well
If not, check with a jazzy friend
I
listened to it last week on my Covid walk
And
it eased my 82-year-old shuffle around the ‘hood
It
also got me thinking about things that keep people moving
Together
Christians
(not unique, I am sure)
Have
always advocated communing
One
mystical body, Christ as the head
The
rest of us with our roles to play
Succeeding
only in the context of each other
Look
it up
The
Communion of Saints
Now,
Covid activities have gotten me wondering
At
a less abstract level
About
the communal lives of
Well,
…, saints
Those
people many of us try to emulate
Do
they, as the song suggests, march?
In
groups?
With
the help of music?
Is
this what we should emulate?
It
is not for me to know
If
saints march
To, fro, or
why
But
I am looking to them to help us learn
About social distancing
Together
Together
Can
you envision marching saints?
My
image is that of Mardi Gras in New Orleans
Bands
on parade
Some
of them absolutely buoyant
Strutting
and weaving down the street
“Saints
marching in?”
The
saints among us today
You’ve seen them
Your neighbors
Essential workers, maybe
They
are pretty active
Maybe
even buoyant
Not
ones to ponder
They
have a vision of the needs of others
And
how to respond
Right
now
Their
message,
Someone
cares
What
would it take to get me up off the curb
Instead
of just watching others march?
A
nice Dixieland beat
Would
move my feet
But
that cadence is just a start
Rachmaninoff’s surging
melodies
Have infused
me with energy
And
let me forget the soreness in my hips and knees
The message
Get
started and keep going
I
have listened to other music, walking
Dave
Brubeck, Offenbach, Chopin etudes
Each
so different from the rest
But
they all adjusted my attitude
And
spiced my walk with a little zest
My
take
Learn
to enjoy moving
Imagine
being in a parade
You
may march to a less musical drummer
But
if you let me join you
I
can lag behind
Maintain some distance
Maintain some distance
So
as not to slow you down
There
is another group of saints
Those
who acted saintly here and then passed on
Who
knows what their “life” is like “up there?”
We
can hope there is some celebrating
Enjoying
a just reward
Dancing,
maybe
Weaving
down some celestial street
Pause
for a lighter moment
A
saint wearing a party hat
Poking
through a halo
Hello
Ponder
that
Harps
and choirs?
I
think not
Not
your take on heaven?
Probably
But
just saying
Communing
with others over a shared purpose
May create a parade
Take your places! Eyes right! Give me six feet!
And let's step out with pride
So, ... , where do we go?
Care-givers, I am told
Should prepare for anywhere
If you need specifics
Turn on the tv
Take your places! Eyes right! Give me six feet!
And let's step out with pride
So, ... , where do we go?
Care-givers, I am told
Should prepare for anywhere
If you need specifics
Turn on the tv
A
test for your theological imagination
How
much random wandering occurs in heaven?
Or
how much random wandering gets people into heaven?
The
saying suggests, it takes a village to get you to that home
But
I want to know about my village
Does
someone here have a metronome?
DRK
5/26/2020
