We watched "Titanic" as a family last weekend. I wasn't prepared for how uncannily similar it would feel to what we are living right now and what I see being played out in vulnerable communities in Thailand, India and around the world. It inspired me to write this poem/prayer for increased awareness in these crazy times.
This is not to belittle the challenges of self-isolation or the terrible sickness and loss in each one's own land. Or to make any of us feel guilty for having a stocked fridge and comfortable home as we sit out the social isolation. Rather, it is to help us gain perspective and grow in compassion and action as we see how this terrible iceberg impacts our brothers and sisters in our global community.
Iceberg:
This is not to belittle the challenges of self-isolation or the terrible sickness and loss in each one's own land. Or to make any of us feel guilty for having a stocked fridge and comfortable home as we sit out the social isolation. Rather, it is to help us gain perspective and grow in compassion and action as we see how this terrible iceberg impacts our brothers and sisters in our global community.
Here
we sit in our lifeboats
A
haven of safety on arctic seas
The
iceberg hit and our plans were dashed
Fear
overwhelms us for the future
Who
knows for how long we will float?
Who
knows for how long we will wait for rescue?
We
huddle
We
pray
We
wait
We
check our provisions
We
encourage each other in the waiting
We
sing to keep our spirits up
How
long O Lord?
But
have we seen those bobbing in the icy seas?
Their
cries vanish in the vastness of the ocean
Our
system was inadequate
There
were not enough boats
Who
knows how many will survive?
Who
knows if rescue will come in time?
They
cry out
They
thrash
They
cling to scraps of wood
They
lose hope
Their
strength is fading
Some
have already gone under
How
long O Lord?
O
send our lifeboats back, O Lord
Extend
your hand through us before it’s too late
Help
us to see them
Through
the mist of our own fear and anxiety
And
forgive us O Lord
For
building a cruise ship with not enough lifeboats
For
the arrogance of thinking that our ship would not sink
For
disregarding the plight of those in lower decks
Forgive
us and make us whole again
Have
mercy, O Lord.
It is not too late to turn around
Unlike the Titanic, our lifeboat will not tip if we go back in
We hear the cry and will not stay silent
We see the suffering and will not sit back
Use us O Lord
To reach out in love and compassion
To pull them from the icy seas
To cover them with our blankets
And to build from the wreckage a new ship
Where justice and compassion reign
And where there are enough boats for all.
May your Kingdom come, O Lord.
It is not too late to turn around
Unlike the Titanic, our lifeboat will not tip if we go back in
We hear the cry and will not stay silent
We see the suffering and will not sit back
Use us O Lord
To reach out in love and compassion
To pull them from the icy seas
To cover them with our blankets
And to build from the wreckage a new ship
Where justice and compassion reign
And where there are enough boats for all.
May your Kingdom come, O Lord.
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