Yes, fear is here.
Quarantine is here.
Panic buying is here.
Yes, illness is here,
and death is here too.

But they say that after long years of noise in Wuhan,
the birds can be heard singing again.
They say that after only a few weeks of calm and silence,
the sky is no longer covered by thick clouds of smoke and darkness.
The sky is clear and blue again.

They say that in the streets of Italy,
people sing to one another
from opposite sides of empty squares.
They say the windows have not been closed,
so that those confined in loneliness
can hear the warm voices of families near them.

They say a hotel in western Ireland
is sending warm, free meals
to homes under quarantine.

Today I saw a young woman
distributing notes with her phone number
in homes for older people,
so that elderly people confined to rooms of silence
might hear a human voice on the other end of the line
to break their loneliness.

Today, after centuries,
churches, synagogues, mosques and temples
are preparing to receive and shelter human beings
who are suffering, vulnerable and homeless.

Across the world, life has slowed its pace,
and human beings have found an opportunity for reflection and thought.
Across the world,
people look at their neighbours with new eyes.
Across the world, people have awakened to a new truth:
the possibility of the greatness of the human spirit,
and how little control it has over nature and fate,
and to what alone has true value: love.

So let us pray and remember:
yes, fear exists,
but humanity can stand above aversion and hatred.
Yes, quarantine exists,
but humanity can overcome loneliness.
Yes, panic buying exists,
but we can rise above pettiness and degradation.
Yes, illness exists,
but it is no reason for the death of the human spirit.
And yes, death exists,
but at every moment love can be born again.

Be aware of what you are choosing in this moment
and of the path you now choose for living.
Today breathe in the clean air
and give your heart to the song of birds.
Beyond the clamour of fear in the mind,
the sky will become blue again,
and spring will arrive,
and love will always remain our refuge.

Open the windows of the soul.
Even if you cannot cross this empty square,
do not forget to sing.

A poem by Richard Hendrick
Translation: Hannah Saatchi / Aydin Areta