Good evening, friends. (I always feel like Vincent Price or something when I say, “Good evening.”) Four years ago, I was into my sixth month of a year-long project: Writing a “peace” poem into Twitter every night. Four years ago was also the early days of the pandemic, and now the book that came from those tweets is an annual reminder of how fresh and raw everything felt at that time.
Things are different now—we’re different—but we’re still human beings living in a world with setbacks and unexpected detours. We’re still living in the strange, liminal present, between the dreams and goals we set in the past, and the future which is always uncertain to some degree. We’re still hardwired for yearning, for wanting more, and still grieving the things that we’ve lost to the past few years.
We’re still, many of us, tender.
Peace to those whose plans are on hold
in a world of plans on hold
But yours were tender
hopeful, for the first time
in a long time
Peace to those who could only survive for so long
& were ready to finally live, to thrive
& then that word Survive
came down again
like a curtain
~from 365 Days of Peace: Benedictions to End Your Days in Gentleness and Hope
Peace to all of your dear souls tonight.
Love,
Jessica