And people stayed at home
And read books
And listened
And they rested
And did exercises
And made art and played
And learned new ways of being
And stopped and listened
More deeply

And in the absence of people who lived in ignorant ways, the earth also began to heal.

Someone meditated
Someone prayed
Someone met their shadow
And people began to think differently
And people healed
And in the absence of people
Who lived in ignorant ways
Dangerous, meaningless, and heartless
The earth also began to heal

They grieved for the dead and made new choices. They created new ways of living and completely healed the earth, just as they were healed.

And when the danger ended
And people found themselves
They grieved for the dead
And made new choices
And dreamed of new visions
And created new ways of living
And completely healed the earth
Just as they were healed.

---

This poem was written by Kathleen O’Mara in 1869, reprinted during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1919. Republishing this here so we will be reminded that we are indeed just merely guests of the earth. And sometimes, the earth needs to rid itself with people so it can heal. And when we heal, so the earth will be healed.