put on the crown

there is no other way to play this

own it

it is yours.

our birthright

the crown of divine rule

signature of high office

of Know Thyself.

 

it was a crown of thorns for Jesus

a crown of daisies for us

sprawled in the grass

spindly legs freckles on cheeks

ribbons in our hair,

fingernails slitting the stem and feeding daisies through

until we had a ring of them squashed on our heads,

dancing and laughing in sweet innocence.

climate disaster war coronavirus nuclear waste

a long long dream away,

more like threepence to spend on a lolly

a new pencil case or ruler

shoes with laces

because now I could tie bows.

 

it was porridge and bath before bed

a hot water bottle and a goodnight kiss.

now the grandchildren know

empty food shelves

closed shops parents out of work,

they know the swimming pool the playground the skatepark

and the gelati shop are out of bounds,

they know that if they don’t wash their hands someone might die.

 

fear and statistics broadcast hourly

more restrictions

don’t hang out with your friends 

don’t sit on a park bench even on your own

don’t go for a drive or have a picnic with your family in a secluded spot

don’t hike or camp.

 

the lost job queue winds on around the corner

phone lines internet choke and seize up

not enough data

facemasks hand sanitisers tissues

not enough

placing health workers at risk.

 

science is definitive

telling the story

crunching the data

building models and graphs

stand back stay home

wash your hands

governments around the world agree

and lockstep a program designed to keep us in place.

 

go online and get a life

if only we had data

skype youtube zoom facebook,

the world’s your oyster on a screen

look up nature

david attenborough will show you unimaginable beauty

all with a cuppa in hand.

 

the bandwagon calls us to participate

and it matters little what we believe or what theory we admire

or whether we agree,

it is clear, it is legislated

stay home and wash your hands.

let go of normal existence

stop the world.

 

corona is latin for crown

virus by name

game changer by station,

children are home climbing trees in the backyard singing

seeds and seedlings are being planted

windows doors open so voices can reach out and touch anothers heart

waving at neighbours

home deliveries

meals left on doorsteps.

 

Has Adani stopped operations?

the guns been silenced?

the military on hold?

Have weapons manufactures shut down?

logging of native forests ceased?

Is there a moratorium on the making of deadly viruses in labs?

Will hunting elephants and whales stop ?

 

Do not gather in numbers greater than two

five at a wedding, 10 at a funeral,

someone has called for single use plastic bags to be reintroduced

does this make sense and how would we know anyway?

the righteous send forth and

the kindhearted people who do not wish to see this virus spread

stay home and dream.

 

I make hand sanitiser, anti- viral sprays and soap.

sew face masks, hankies and oven mitts

knit dish cloths and scrubbers.

I no longer hug friends if I should accidentally see them 

take wide circles around people in shops and shower when I come home.

I stay home in a country of…  ‘we are all staying home.’

don’t know for how long

if we will get sick and die or get sick and live or stay healthy.

we don’t know if we will go mad, if food stocks will improve or whether there will ever be toilet paper pasta or rice on the shelves again.

what we do know is that we have no right to socialise,gather in groups, sit in cafes or playgrounds parks or beaches, we cannot go to the opera the football the movies the museum…

And many many people no longer have the right to work.

 

 

This is how it is

here is where we find ourselves and reinvention is part of playing the game.

This is an opportunity for that retreat you didn’t know you needed

for honest reflection

what do we really need?

what can we let go of?

and bring into focus

the healthy option for all humans and all planetary life.

 

A crown is on offer

championed by a virus that has stopped the known world.

Sun wind wallaby oceans tides flowers and cabbages continue

to make their mark

to be who they are

clouds stars evolution love is all around us

within us.

 

we listen

push through the veil of stock market share price illusion

enter into divine realisation

take up the mantle

put on the crown

go to work

and

transform the world with respect and integrity.