To keep us within limits

is surely stretching us,

allowing a new space, room

for refinement.

Removing the unwanted, unnecessary

and impure can feel like it’s breaking us

but, really it’s building

a fresh foundation— fortifying our souls.

This is unparalleled, yet

it will encourage and elicit a new

way of being, elegance—

purely ingenious and simple;

This time is unprecedented, but 

it is elevating our collective 

humility, celebrating sacrifice,

recognizing our shared humanity.

Certainly we will stand again,

more gracious and more grateful—

with a grit and groundedness only available

by demanded distance.

—Kelsey Boone DeYoung

March 29, 2020