Pandemonium

Don’t think about it too much

Just write your thoughts on the page as they come

You know they’ve been piled up, scattered all over, and cooped up in your brain

Let them out; let your mind breathe; give your thoughts more space

Acknowledge everything that has been and release them

Give your emotions exposure to the light of day

Who knows what might come your way once you do

You’ve thought about how much you’ve missed going to movies

With friends like Archie, Mike, or one of the men you’ve mentored

You’ve pondered about life perhaps not ever going back to what it used to be

Certain that you do not want to revert to some of the old things

Unsure of letting the others go

You’ve thought about the utmost importance of times of solitude

Especially when spent in the presence of God

You’ve realized even more how valuable face-to-face interactions with people are

The priceless moments you’ve invested into the lives of others way before all this happened

And the future times you’ve yet to spend on others, moving forward

You’ve thought about some of your dreams and desires in life; and how they all seem so distant under these uncertain skies

Vacillating back and forth between bludgeoned belief and wrung out weariness

Yet always going back to the safe space and reinforced refuge of Strong Arms and Encompassing Wings

You’ve asked question upon question; formed speculation after speculation; traced one possibility after another

There were many, though never reaching anywhere near fourteen million six hundred and five

New things were appreciated

Old things, missed

Confinement felt like a blessing at one point

A punishment at another

Passions were refined and focal points made clearer

Long-standing promises were confirmed in the agony of the wait

Long-hidden shadows brought forth into the light

You’ve thought about the second season and the fun things you could do with the Story Fiend

And the narratives she has yet to spin and play out

How much further is that from here?

Through windows barred and fences locked

In barren skies and beaches blocked

Opinions bandied around — blatantly pointless

Arguments profusely bleeding — utterly senseless

Stay in, speak out, move on, turn off

Fight back, face front, spew hate, give love

The season’s mad enough; don’t add fuel to the fire

The bomb is ticking; you soon better cut the wire

A plague, a weapon, a medical abuse

Intended? Invented? Is all of this a ruse?

Solve it with might; fix it with glue

Sometimes the answer is just within you

Maybe in silence or maybe with words

Maybe there’s ways that love’s not been heard

Indoors is safety, outdoors not quite

Does everyone sleep soundly, securely each night?

The trump too loud? The gong too thundering?

These ships seem aimless… or are they: you’re wondering

Do we trade lives so we could live on to trade?

Have all the options been exhausted and weighed?

Perhaps all this chaos, perhaps all this loss

Were meant to bend our knees; eyes fixed on the Cross

Perhaps in the uproar if we learn to be still

We might just find answers, a much better will

Oh my God… look around this place

May we all see Your hand move as we all seek Your face

You are here in the midst much more than we realize

In this pandemonium of heart and mind and sighs

In our musings and choosings, give us wisdom and hope

Let us know that you’ll find us at the end of the rope