* System Reset: A Call from Covid

Begin again. 
Fear is creeping in,
     that's interesting
     that's new. 
A gripping on the lower back side 
    of my heart,
        squeezing. 
Breathe. 
Begin again. 

Breathe - the One Breath,
     we are all breathing it!
It could kill us
     or
It could heal us. 

CHOOSE.

Pull in more oxygen than you exhale. 
Again. 
AGAIN. 
Again! Faster, deeper! 
Now, hold it!....................................(for how long?)
Never mind that. Just relax.
Be present to what is:
     Fear.
     ......but also.......relaxation, spaciousness.
Ego drops away
     becomes the servant,
     no longer the master. 
Collective Honesty,
     for the first time in millennia:
EVOLVE OR DIE. 

Floating down the stream toward the Source
     being carried,
     Letting Go. 
A slight kick here,
A slight paddle there. 
Pay attention,
     don't let your head hit a rock!
That is your only job:
     PAY ATTENTION. 

Soon, others join,
     carried in by their unique tributaries.
Link arms.
Smile at each other.
Drift. 
We are picking up speed now,
     a collective surrender.
The River knows where she is going-
     do YOU?

Don't let questions like that trick you into 
     Self Doubt. 
The way we ride the River
     is the same way
           we will embrace the Ocean. 
Shall it be in fear 
     or in Trust? 

Fear is not working. 
Evolve or die.


​(By Chelsea Forbrook, April 5, 2020.  Thanks to my friend Ben for the writing prompt.)