We all long to send off
a message in a bottle.
At last we have the chance...

In this peculiar state
we do things differently.
All this year we note a close communion 
between the living and the dead.

We could ask our redeemers to send help
but who could deliver so far?
The sailors who chance to find this-
it is we who might help them.

What vital signs are worth recording for them-
take in your washing before the rain falls?
No. Our message must speak to anyone 
fearful of a cruel sea change in weather.
Only our open hearts can inspire. We suffer 
in a peculiar state but not a unique one.

Abiding in the shadows here anxiety thrives: 
when, and how, might we move back into the light.

Exiled in our own home
rainbows deployed in our windows.
Strange times. We cheer for real heroes.

And who could find our message in a bottle
but survivors of this strange time?
From darkness we are holding out a bright mirror
a reminder of our fragile design
our promise as a rose in bud.

Peculiar states, strange times. They are not unique
but each one of us is and is 
of infinite value. Staying strong inside.