Resilience

We humans-
we were made
to adapt.
Our very survival
depends on it.

Sure, we’d rather not.
We resist,
we deny,
we shake our fist.
We feel overwhelmed
by the impossible
magnitude.

But slowly,
we relent.
Through tears,
we begin to see
in a new way.
We uncover within
a dormant strength
that has been waiting
for just this moment.

We find creative ways
to help each other along,
digging deep
to contribute what we can.
Our common resilience
results in great things.

And when these particular
circumstances ebb,
we will be changed-
more grateful,
more compassionate.

Our inner world
will have expanded
and our interactions
with the each other
and the world
will never be the same.

By Maria Brady-Smith
Photo by Mike Smith