I awoke thinking about my day ahead
this first day
of 31 days off
off from teaching in person
now plenty of time
to read
to write
to wonder about this new unknown
I was reminded of another day
another unexpected day off
on 9/12/01
The sky was blue
I mowed the grass
I wondered about the unknown
Today
I opened a text message
from my kind friend who sent me this poem
It calmed me
It reminded me:
It is time for poems
It is time to be still
It is time to connect
“in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.”
I recommend reading Lynn Ungar’s poem – Pandemic
Writing Stories by Sally 
It is easier to stay calm when we take to nature in these times. I lived in Manhattan on 9/11 and recall enjoying walks outside. If for nothing else, those walls were useful to pry myself away from the newspaper and the TV.
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Beautiful. Your thoughts are calming, and I love the picture.
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I’ve seen “Pandemic” floating around, and agree it is so relevant right now. I started reading Carolyn Forché’s new collection “In the Lateness of the World: Poems” yesterday and writing response poems as I read. I often turn to poetry in times of anxiety. I love that you write a poem as a way of thinking about this moment. I hope knowing you made it through 9-11 offers strength through this moment.
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love it
the universe speaks yet again
actually I believe it speaks all the time
most of the time we are too busy to notice
let me know
when you are up for a walk in the woods!
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Poetry, books, music, nature, people we love -all help us during these tough times.
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We need to remember to do what we love! Have you listened to the podcast Poetry Unbound- I think you would love it. 31 days-wow! We do not have any day # yet. I imagine we will know more in the next day or two. Take care of yourself.
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And The Slowdown with Tracy K Smith is also a great short poetry-related podcast. I listen to both on my way to school — or at least I did up until now. The routine will continue at home.
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Poetry evokes emotion, releasing tension and calming the soul. Thank you for this reminder, the link to “Pandemic” and for your poetry.
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“It is time for poems”–Yes. Beautifully written! I just resubscribed to Poem-A-Day and have been enjoying getting those in my inbox every morning.
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Our public library closed for the rest of the month this afternoon. I’m pretty sure I was the only one filling my bag with Wendell Berry and Mary Oliver.
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Finding calm and stillness can bring peace. I truly enjoyed your poem. Thanks for sharing and for your recommendation.
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Yes, it is time for poems. Even without a pandemic, such a quick change of routine, from teaching ft to suddenly having weeks of unstructured time, can be tricky.
I took a break from FB and removed some folks from my Twitter feed. I am concentrating on creativity and compassion — which today took the form of weeding a lot before the rain came!
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“I wondered about the unknown”-my favorite line and the one that expresses how I feel. The poem is beautiful.
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