Focusing on the Good, a Poem by Linda M. Crate

For the collection: 'Life in the time of #COVID'

there will always

be concerns and worries,

some monster waiting to kill us

with fangs sharp and ready

to murder;

but i cannot fall prey to the nightmares

when my heart is full of the laughter

of spring—

birdsong has nested in my ears,

and crocuses bloom in my heart;

flowering trees are ready to open

their buds soon and surely

all the beauty nature can provide me

convinces me this is just another cycle—

perhaps mother earth was demanding

we gave her some time to heal

from all the destructive hands of men,

insisting that we could all move a little

more slowly;

and focus on the important things:

family, friendships, connection, dreams,

books, music, art, and conversations;

the most important things we sometimes buried

because of work and business and all these things

we had to do.

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Linda M. Crate's works have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies both online and in print. She is the author of six poetry chapbooks, the latest of which is: 'More Than Bone Music' (Clare Songbirds Publishing House, March 2019). She's also the author of the novel 'Phoenix Tears' (Czykmate Books, June 2018). Recently she has published two full-length poetry collections 'Vampire Daughter' (Dark Gatekeeper Gaming, February 2020) and 'The Sweetest Blood' (Cyberwit, February 2020).