When all this is over

By Dorothy Grover-Read

 

When all this is over,

maybe we’ll think how beautifully the spring birds sang, 

how bright the pink moon shone.

 

Perhaps we’ll remember the first warm breeze 

that nudged the mulch from the way of daffodils,

the squirrels who entertained us,

or the elder’s tears when a stranger brought bread.

 

Maybe we’ll recall the passing nods of greeting, 

the middle-aged couple dancing in the empty street,

the letter written in beautiful cursive, 

or the smell of first-cut grass.

 

When all this is over, 

perhaps we’ll think about angels who sewed masks for strangers, 

and sang to each other from a distance, 

those who carried food to our cars,

heroes in hospitals who focused on hope,

 

Parents who kept their children safe and smiling.

 

Our hearts may remember the return of dolphins to Venice, 

and mountains fresh and visible for lack of haze,

the planet saying “See how easy this could be? See?”

 

Perhaps we will rethink the word “essential,”

and remember how we made soup, made bread, and made do.

 

And when this is all over, 

maybe we’ll recognize 

we’ve always been connected, 

listen a little deeper, notice a little more, 

waste a little less, and live a little better.

~ Dorothy Grover-Read