Richard Hendrick: Lockdown
Lockdown
Yes there is fear.
Yes there is isolation.
Yes there is panic buying.
Yes there is sickness.
Yes there is even death.
But,
They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again.
They say that after just a few weeks of quiet
The sky is no longer thick with fumes
But blue and grey and clear.
They say that in the streets of Assisi
People are singing to each other
across the empty squares,
keeping their windows open
so that those who are alone
may hear the sounds of family around them.
They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland
Is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.
Today a young woman I know
is busy spreading fliers with her number
through the neighbourhood
So that the elders may have someone to call on.
Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples
are preparing to welcome
and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary
All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting
All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way
All over the world people are waking up to a new reality
To how big we really are.
To how little control we really have.
To what really matters.
To Love.
So we pray and we remember that
Yes there is fear.
But there does not have to be hate.
Yes there is isolation.
But there does not have to be loneliness.
Yes there is panic buying.
But there does not have to be meanness.
Yes there is sickness.
But there does not have to be disease of the soul
Yes there is even death.
But there can always be a rebirth of love.
Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.
Today, breathe.
Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic
The birds are singing again
The sky is clearing,
Spring is coming,
And we are always encompassed by Love.
Open the windows of your soul
And though you may not be able
to touch across the empty square,
Sing
Discussion Questions
How does Richard Hendrick's "Lockdown" compare to your own experience with physical distancing or in lockdown
What have you noticed more in your environment when forced to change your pace?
How will you continue to use the lessons of lockdown going forward?
Reflections from #MedHumChat
“"I really found this poem resonated for me because it combines the struggle with the beauty that can be found in this time. It is easy to be lost in only the struggle, but the beautiful moments keep me going. "Yes AND..." “—@ScottVernaglia
“On one hand, during this time I have connected with some of the most giving, selfless, wonderful individuals and groups. On other hand, I feel that hostility and negativity are accelerating in some places and it's difficult to protect my own energy from this.”—@NicoleJochym
“Despite having spent countless hours each day from dawn to dusk staring at the same trees outside my bedroom window, I continue to find them more beautiful each time. I hope that, going forward, I can continue to find more & more beauty in the interstitium of life”—@LanceShaver
“As I was mostly housebound before, I didn't change my pace much. I've noticed how much trouble people have with navigating uncertainty, and with accepting that we don't know. And I've noticed the beauty of spring sun and summer night air at my open window.”—@OdyO11
“Keeping in mind that lockdown is the daily experience of many with chronic & mystery illnesses & that the most vulnerable before the pandemic will continue to be the most vulnerable after. Many new people are joining the ranks of chronic illness, too, & they can't be forgotten”—@epinborough
About this #MedHumChat
“Lockdown” was paired with the poem, “In the Time of Pandemic” by Kitty O’Meara for a #MedHumChat discussion on July 15, 2020 exploring Life in Lockdown.
This chat was curated by Becca Omlor, MD, a palliative care and geriatrics physician at Wake Forest Baptist Health, and Anoushka Sinha, MD, a pediatrics resident at Columbia.
About the Author
Brother Richard Hendrick is a Capuchin Franciscan priest-friar living in Ireland.