I took a recent neighborhood walk, and the surroundings were definitely not the norm. Quiet streets and hardly anyone outside on a gloomy, spring afternoon. I crossed a busy road, without the usual volume of traffic. The entire experience brought many thoughts to mind, some of which found their way into this poem.

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Morning rush traffic, missing in action
Downtown streets resemble empty ghost towns
All of this, most unusual for many
Life experiencing major breakdowns
Atmosphere of dark, winter gloom arrives
Quiet neighborhood lanes, filled with stillness
Sheltered-in-place covers the entire land
Fear and panic, with visions of illness
Households, overflowing with family
Quite unique for a midweek afternoon
Only essential employees at work
Life differs from a “Charlie Brown” cartoon
Spring’s portraits and sounds, arriving on schedule
Trees bud out, grass turning green, robins sing
God’s creation reminds us, He is near
His steadfast, faithful hope shall always ring

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From Lamentations 3:21-23: “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
Wonderful poetry. Yes, Amen – God is steadfast, his love never fades.
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Amen…God certainly is near. These are certainly strange and unusual times we are living in. Your picture of that street speaks volumes Richard!!
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Beautiful.
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Thank you Bonnie. I am pleased you found the wonder of quiet moments.
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His peace is everywhere.
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You captured what its like similarly with Los Angeles
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Right now, I wouldn’t mind being isolated on a ranch back in my home state of Montana. At least I could enjoy the wide open spaces and even more of God’s creation. I am looking forward to returning there.
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Wow that would be nice!
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Beautiful! I like the way your poems minister to your readers. God bless you and your family.
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Susan, I appreciate your words. We all need to stick together because faith shared with others builds up our hope.
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beautiful poem; it is eerie how quiet it is outside…
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Yes, it is Jim. When I walk, I can cross a normally busy road pretty much anytime. I haven’t driven anywhere except to the grocery store and the post office.
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I kind of like seeing the roads with less traffic on them. Hopefully, that is something that will continue once we get back to “normal”.
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Amen! God’s love never fades.
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Amen! God’s love is always with us.
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