gratia

In the valued

     stillness of

          the moment

I raise prayerlike

     thoughts of

          gratefulness

For those who

     grapple with Covid's

          death dealingness

Who practice caring

     beyond

          self security

And those who

     occasion healing

          antidotes

For those who

     bury the dead

          with dignity

Who draw on the

     heart to comfort

          the bereaved

And hold the door

     open for an

          infusion of hope

That all who suffer may

     remember joy         

          and reclaim peace