Published: 4/8/2020 1:52:51 PM
Modified: 4/8/2020 1:52:41 PM
Bless you for crying
For weeping and wailing so hard
You abandon the tissues
Grab a towel
And soak the folds
Bless you for lowering your
Grief-wracked body
To your knees in prayer
Something you have not done
Since you were a child
When you did not know the words
Arthritis, pandemic
Bless you for worrying
Today about Bangladesh
Yesterday
About India
Always
About loved ones, scattered
Daily
About your neighbor, stricken
Bless you for writing inadequate words
Of comfort
On pastel cards
And mailing them
Anyway
Bless you for standing on the sidewalk
In front of apartment buildings
Waving, waving
In case someone
Is at their window
— Andrea Ayvazian
The Rev. Dr. Andrea Ayvazian of Northampton is an associate pastor at Alden Baptist Church in Springfield. She is also the founder and director of the Sojourner Truth School for Social Change Leadership.