Covid Earth

by Joe Armstrong

Life, as we know it, has changed.

Humanity is humbled by a microbe.

This morning, I look at the sky, beautiful and blue.

I hear birdsong.

I breathe.

I, for now, am one of the lucky ones.

Inhaling breath, exhaling, inhaling.

Alive, healthy, breathing still.

The earth breathes too,

Much of it relieved by our humbling.

Demand lessened, growth stalled,

The earth made blue again

By our demise.

Joe Armstrong © 2020

I wrote Covid Earth a few weeks ago. Covid-19 has changed all our lives. It has caused us to stop and reflect. It has disrupted our plans and cleared our diaries. It has stopped or slowed the frenzy in many people’s lives.

No wedding is worth the death or serious ill-health of anyone. Covid-19 has tested our values. It invites us to reconsider what is most important about our big day. It is an opportunity for each of us to review our lives.

It gives us, the lucky ones who are still alive, time. It confronts each of us with the inevitable reality our mortality. Each of us will die. Some monks dig clay from their grave every day. It isn’t morbid. It’s truth.

I have finished a book during lockdown – writing one, that is. I’ve read plenty too.

I also downloaded and filled in the Think Ahead template. It will make life easier for people whenever I kick the bucket – which hopefully won’t happen for a long time yet! I suggest you download the editable PDF – it will make it easier for you to update it every year or so. And don’t forget to share it with your loved ones. It’s really for them that you are doing it.

There is a lot positive to be gained from lockdown. Who knew that birds sang so loud! Less traffic on our roads. More silence. For the lucky ones, time spent with loved ones.

For me, it has been good to remember what I love to do: write for a living and conduct Humanist ceremonies.