And the People Stayed Home

Spanish Flu 1918 photo

There’s a wonderful poem that’s been circulating on social media during the COVID-19 Pandemic. It’s often prefaced with these words:

History repeats itself. I came across this poem written in 1869, reprinted during the 1919 Pandemic.

This is Timeless…. It was written in 1869 by Kathleen O’Mara.

There’s only one problem, it’s not true.

The author of the poem is Kitty O’Meara. After Deepak Chopra shared it, the untitled poem went globally viral and made her the poet laureate of the current pandemic.

Kitty lives in Madison, Wisconsin, she’s retired, lives with her husband Phillip and they have five rescue dogs.

You can read the whole story in Oprah Magazine HERE

And Now You Know, The Rest of the Story

So, take a moment and enjoy this wonderful message, perfect for these times.

And people stayed at HOME

And read books, and listened, and rested,

and exercised, and made art, and played games

And learned new ways of being, and were still,

And listened more deeply,

Some meditated, some prayed, some

danced, some met their shadows.

And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed. And, in the absence of

people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless

and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people

joined together again, they grieved their losses,

and made new choices, and dreamed new

images, and created new ways to live and heal

the earth fully, as they had been HEALED.

-Kitty O’Meara

 

Kitty adds that we all have gifts. It’s a good reminder that whatever your gifts are, and however small they may be to keep using them. This is a really good time for that.

Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible;

and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

-Saint Francis of Assisi