A great reckoning
by Elouise
Covid-19 Memorial
A great reckoning is upon us
With or without our approval
Hundreds of thousands
Lie cold in the earth
From which they came
Tiny bits of joy and wonder
Beautiful even when
Deemed worthless
By those who prize
Color or male genitalia
over heart and soul
Wealth over a fair income
Red lining over fair access
Gerrymandering over truth
Control over empowerment
Now cold in the ground
Or present with the Creator
The dead cry out for justice
Which will surely come
At great loss to the living
Rich or poor or in-between
Democrat or Republican
Independent or Green Party
Or no party at all
As we keep saying,
We’re all in this together–
the high cost of living in the USA
whether we like it or not
I’m always taken aback by the fate of some prophets in Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Though some survive the ordeal of telling the truth to kings and religious leaders, others share the fate of their nation. Like Jesus of Nazareth, they, too end up being killed.
I’m not a champion of martyrdom. Nor do I believe everything will necessarily turn out ‘right.’ At the same time, I believe our smallest actions, seen or unseen, tell the truth about us. Individually and together.
Right now we seem to be sending mixed messages to ourselves and to the world. Messages not just from some of our politicians, but from our churches and religious institutions. Especially, but not only, those filled with or supported by white patrons.
We the people aren’t up for sale to the highest bidder. Not now, not ever. And yes, there’s a cost involved.
Praying each of us will find a way to make a truth-filled difference in this pain-ridden country dying of grief.
Elouise♥
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 5 February 2021
Photo of Covid-19 memorial flags found at news.harvard.edu
Telling the Truth 
well stated, if you want reassurance and understanding of these times, point your compass, to the prophet esdras, the last prophet in the old testament, it clearly points to these times, evil will always be evil, but don’t lose faith, eternity is the divine prize, amen
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Thank you, bw. We need all the support we can get–from each other and from our faith. It isn’t easy to follow in the footsteps of the prophets or the great prophet Jesus of Nazareth. Blessings to you.
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In total truth Elouise, I have encountered divine intervention many times, it ends all doubt, amen, but as only God is perfect, we must keep on loving, amen, be blessed,
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Your line “The dead cry out for justice\Which will surely come\At great loss to the living” reached out and grabbed me. The countless ones who cry out, “How long, O Lord?” Stopped me in my tracks.
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Thank you, dw. Yes…there’s a price we’re already paying for minimizing/ignoring the reality of Covid-19. Which, of course, also reflects generations of looking the other way/ignoring blatant racism happening right before our eyes. It takes practice to live in denial. And it takes enablers to allow it to continue. I wish I could say I see an easy or even difficult way out of our current standoffs. We will surely pay a price for our denial and reluctance to look into the mirror, whether we intended to be part of the problem or not.
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I am always amazed to hear about the high cost of living in the USA when millions of the world’s poor are desperately trying to come into our country by any means necessary because they know they have a better opportunity to gain wealth here.
However, I agree that there is a vast and growing chasm between the wealthy and poor. This chasm encountered a frenzy of fresh energy because the Obama administration’s policy of “printing” money at a rate that eclipsed all former executive administrations combined. The “bad orange man” doubled-down on Obama’s “trickle-down” policy and from what I’ve observed, Biden will take this policy to the next level. Specifically, the policy gives trinkets (the cute little stimulus check that the chosen receive) to Main Street and vast treasures to Wall Street through the act of purchasing treasuries by the trillions. (If you don’t know how this works, then here’s a Forbes article that gives just a glimpse of this disgusting practice – https://www.forbes.com/sites/williammeehan/2020/10/21/can-the-federal-reserve-print-money-forever-or-how-continuing-to-print-money-to-support-deficit-spending-may-end-badly-with-chinas-help/?sh=3e05950d58d4)
Skin color and gender have nothing to do with any of these issues. The issue centers on a lust for power and money. Surprise! History repeats itself ad nauseam. No gender or color or political party is immune… You’re likely on anxiety meds if your faith is in a political party. Both sides want you angry, scared, and attempt to convince you they are your best hope for a wonderful resolution to whatever they’re feeding your anxieties with…
It’s these same national politicians who are selling themselves to the highest bidder. They do this through “creative” campaign contributions, book deals, speaking engagements, setting up foundations, relatives receiving amazing and unheard of offers, and many, many other ways they line their pockets for their favor.
I understand that it’s easier (and more entertaining) to hate either republicans or democrats – it’s a national past-time. We are now even forming our social circles, and even businesses, and who we do business with around our political poison of choice.
From where I sit, this is the ultimate in both mental and spiritual depravity.
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