And People Stayed Home

Catherine (Kitty) O’Meara of Madison, Wisconsin (2020).

And people stayed home
and read books and listened
and rested and exercised
and made art and played
and learned new ways of being
and stopped
and listened deeper
someone meditated
someone prayed
someone danced
someone met their shadow
and people began to think differently
and people healed
and in the absence of people who lived in ignorant ways,
dangerous, meaningless and heartless,
even the earth began to heal
and when the danger ended
and people found each other
grieved for the dead people
and they made new choices
and dreamed of new visions
and created new ways of life
and healed the earth completely
just as they were healed themselves.

Comments (96)

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  1. greenergood says:

    This is a lovely sentiment – but are you off your tree?? Starving people do not dance and rest and exercise and meet their effing shadow. Have you read about the aftermath of the Famine?? I don’t know who is this woman, and will try and find out more, and she’ll probably turn out to be very nice and possibly a good writer, but whoever used this poem as inspiration for what’s going on just now is delusional – for now, my visceral reaction to this is that it’s horrific – like Trump saying everything is beautiful while thousands of people are ill and Gawd knows how many will die.

    1. I’m not sure that’s fair. Responses vary and millions of people will experience lengthy home time without illness. It was not intended to lesson the severity of the situation.

      1. Jo says:

        I agree. It would truly be wonderful if all nations, leaders, peoples…learned, are already learning, from what we’re seeing right now.

        Kitty is simply articulating what is possible although, like greenergood, I hae ma doots.

        I actually wept yesterday watching a news item, from India, where people stuck in Mumbai and unable to return to their villages, were being “hosed down” publicly.

        1. Gerardine McGrath says:

          The Poor Indian People, suffering always when catastrophe strikes. Very little back-up.

        2. Katrina Dewar says:

          Given that in Varanasi and other Indian cities people live in open shacks, at side of the road and get washed on the street (very early in am)they might appreciate getting hosed down
          However, never saw the news article, you were referring to.
          Washing your clothes in Ganges down at the ghats and hanging on bushes outside your shack!! No privacy there. As we accept our lot so do they accept their’s. Fish back in the Ganges, birds back in Wuhan, fish back in the canals in Venice.? We need to change.

    2. Vigla says:

      It is a horrific time. But if that’s all we feed on, it sucks out our soul and adds mental distress to the physical, financial, emotional etc distress. This poem allowed me to zoom out of the horror a bit and remind myself to slow down, hug my family, stay connected, read a book I started but didn’t finish and even dance or do yoga while wiping down every blasted thing from doorway to kitchen after a grocery trip.

      1. Craig Binns says:

        I think greenergood is making the point that people did not feel inclined to do these things in the wake of the Irish Famine, even though they may do them during the pandemic lockdown. Anyway it is now agreed that the poem doesn’t in fact date back to the nineteenth century, so it isn’t necessary to stress its inappropriateness in relation to the 1860s.

        1. Ralph Katzenell says:

          Seeking Craig Mills about passing of Frank Donnell
          Contact me by email for further info.

      2. Jessica Whitford says:

        Thank you for this comment

    3. John says:

      So yes some people are starving during this pandemic. The severity of the suffering of the forgotten ones in society is prevalent. But most of the populace is not necessarily sufferingas long as they have a roof over their head, food in the house, and their families are healthy. It is wise and recommended to find ways to sublimate energy however one deems important, necessary, and yes FUN. We’re all in the same boat, we should make the most of it, not be decaying.

    4. Valerie says:

      It is meant to fit into whichever place we are in and the severity of the situation. Relax into the poem !

  2. Craig Binns says:

    It doesn’t look at all as if it was written as a poem in 1869, so I looked up her wiki biography and immediately saw this
    “She did not write the viral poem “And the people stayed home”. That was written by Catherine (Kitty) O’Meara of Madison, Wisconsin on March20 2020. ,” it does indeed read as if written in Wisconsin this month, so don’t worry greenergood. It’s phoney as well as pretentious and idiotic.

    1. Hi Craig – yeah looks like Ive got that wrong. Will update.

      There’s a few pieces about her – here’s one: https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/a31747557/and-the-people-stayed-home-poem-kitty-omeara-interview/

    2. Sara says:

      Excuse me, but does it matter that the poem expresses an idealised vision of what is possible rather than what is actually happening? I thought that was what poetry was all about. It doesn’t have to reflect reality. It’s OK to dream of a better world.

      1. Craig Binns says:

        I think the opposite. If the words were written in 1869 in the text of a book comparing extolling Polish and Irish independence from powerful neighbours, then the words would be prophetic of the future, because Poland and Ireland are now both independent countries, not provinces of Russia or England; and the words referring to people staying at home would be prophecies of the present quarantine; but this “idealised vision” is not present if the poem was written in March 2020. Instead we have a reflection of current reality, rather than any vision. That is the only significance I was pointing to, in correcting the date given by Bella. Anyway the date was mistaken, and correction is justified on that ground alone, requiring no further excuse or explanation.

        But if I am to comment on the work’s merit from an aesthetic viewpoint, my opinion is very negative. It doesn’t have any poetic form, as far as I can see, so it doesn’t strike me as a poem would, artistically. That is not to say that the ideas are unwelcome or unjustified. But welcome words don’t make something into a poem, any more than a shopping list is a poem merely because it contains items you would like to buy.

  3. Craig Binns says:

    The site Astraea et amora seems to be the work of insane people. Here’s a typical extract from the material written on it.

    “Over recent weeks I have experienced a substantial shift in my awareness that has offered me a new perspective on this Ascension Cycle. The different dimensional frequencies have refined and I am able to hold a consistently high level of awareness that has afforded me a new vision of what is taking place within the Third and Fourth Dimensional Frequency Bands.

    “What I have been shown through my personal connections to the Higher Realms is a third dimensional frequency entwined with a fourth dimensional frequency. I see and feel the fourth dimensional frequency positioning itself energetically to hold on as tightly as possible to the Third Dimensional frequency because this is where it gets its energy from.”

    1. Yeah seems bonkers, have edited. My apologies.

      1. DW SCOTT says:

        This is all bollacks
        Have a listen to “ the sound of silence “ by Simon and Garfunkel
        And lighten up

    2. Beaujohn Orion says:

      You just don’t understand this quote, dear Craig, because you have not consulted your guides, energised your chakras and optimised your galactic potential. Immensely sad for you

  4. John McLeod says:

    When I read the poem, I could not believe that it had been written in 1869. The language is too contemporary. This is clarified in the comment responses that were made by various readers. I think it works better as a poem written in 2020. Its a little bit of hope.

    1. Craig Binns says:

      I don’t think it works well as a poem at all, but matters of literary taste can’t be decided by argument. Can we agree however that the Astraea and amore website in which it first saw the light is insane gibberish, which does no favour to the reputation of the nineteenth century author whose personality it has abused?

      1. pippa chapman says:

        Written in 1869 By Kathleen O’Meara

        1. No its not, as I said there’s been a mistake

        2. Susan Jones says:

          What is going on? That means someone is spreading false information re Catherine(Kitty ) M O’ Meara from Wisconsin wrote the prose ….and the people stayed at home..
          In response to her anxiety over the Covid 19 virus!!!!!

  5. Barbara Sharp says:

    Stunning to read this today and profoundly moving

  6. pippa chapman says:

    Written 1869 post famine?

    1. No, there’s been a mistake, this is actually a contemporary poet

      1. DJH says:

        @ Bella Caledonia: Before you came to a final conclusion concerning the original author, did you actually read the book “Iza’s Story” written by Grace Ramsey in 1869 in which supposedly this poem appears?

        1. The Idyll Life says:

          The book is actually entitled Iza: a story of life in Russian-Poland by Kathleen O’Meara aka Grace Ramsay.

          1. DJH says:

            The novel was originally titled ‘Iza’s Story’, written by Kathleen O’Meara aka Grace Ramsay and published by Hurst and Blackett, 1869. It was reprinted under the title of ‘ Iza: a Storv of Life in Russian Poland,’ London, 1877. It’s on the market now under its original title ‘Iza’s Story.’

          2. DJH says:

            Correction: Actually, presently it’s on the market under both titles.

        2. BPH says:

          I’d also be interested to know if anyone has read the book to verify whether in fact this piece of writing is in it – it sounds very contemporary to me, yet someone is also suggesting it was published again in 1918!

  7. Dorothy says:

    A beautifully written poem. But one wonders if, when this episode of life on earth is over, will humankind slip back into the way it was.
    My son sent me Alastair Gray’s translation of Dante’s La Divina Commedia describing his journey through hell purgatory and eventual arrival in heaven. Back then as now there were cheats, adulterers, simoniac popes, etc. Another book ‘Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Harari A brief history ofHumankind’. One sentence reads ‘can we ever free our behaviour from the legacy of our ancestors? And what, if anything, can we do to influence the course of the centuries to come’. On a lighter note – Maybe us women need to start a planet of our own – Haha. Not that I am trying to blame the male species haha.

    1. Jim Anthony says:

      Reply to/for Dorothy

      Whether the poem is good poetry and mere doggerel; whether written last week or last year or in 1869; whether it is ‘horrific’, simplistic, naive or anything else. These matters aside, Dorothy, you have made an important point about women setting up on another planet. Implicit in that idea is the notion that patriarchy has failed us. It is dead, waiting for its death certificate to be issued. Patriarchy should be given a decent burial and with Donald Trump should be given a decent burial as well–November 2020 will not be too soon. This planet, damaged as it is, if we survive COVID-19, should be handed over to women.

      1. Craig Binns says:

        Dorothy has suggested “On a lighter note – Maybe us women need to start a planet of our own – Haha. Not that I am trying to blame the male species haha”., and Jim Anthony has picked that up in the following terms. “you have made an important point about women setting up on another planet. Implicit in that idea is the notion that patriarchy has failed us. It is dead, waiting for its death certificate to be issued. Patriarchy should be given a decent burial and with Donald Trump should be given a decent burial as well–November 2020 will not be too soon. This planet, damaged as it is, if we survive COVID-19, should be handed over to women.”

        There are lots of issues here. The question of the poem’s date or artistic merit has been dismissed now as irrelevant to the real issue which is either the establishment of a new women-only planet or the abolition of patriarchy, as if these were the same thing, or it is the handing over of this planet to women. And the suggestion, whatever it is, is either a joke, “haha, on a lighter note” or it is “an important point”. Once it has been decided which of these many propositions is the seriously intended one, it will be possible to comment on it, but at present all we have is incoherence.

        1. Danielle Frischmann says:

          Craig Binns you make me laugh. Not being sarcastic- I love the way you restate and then critique. I “get” you.

  8. Dee Kay says:

    Artistic poetic licence …just to read and reflect … no wrong or right …

  9. Dee Kay says:

    Artistic licence … no rights or wrongs.. the words resonated with me during this time of reflection ..

    1. Sara says:

      Completely agree.

  10. Martyn Jones says:

    Blown away by this.

  11. Alan says:

    Very Profound – and I hope the work;d population learns from all this!

  12. Paula harvey says:

    Maybe next time a virus will mutate our mouths to silence. If our actions this time don’t clean up the air we breath?. Hence the lungs, being attacked. Tit for Tat. This place is you and belongs to now, the space you are will decide do you stay and be part of this time or do you vibrate a wave a frequency without your body a gift of now a present moment whatever. If you are not remembering you will forget and be forgotten. Memory is the way.

  13. Lynn Ashcroft says:

    I heard Kerry Mulligan read this poem last night on Radio 2, very moving❤️

  14. Pantaleão says:

    Very, very good text

  15. Alice says:

    This was written in 1869 after the Irish Famine and re-published in 1919 now again in 2020

    1. Craig Binns says:

      Alice, can you quote sources for the fact of these publications, particularly the 1919 one which hasn’t been mentioned yet until your post?

    2. CeeC says:

      Correct. This wasn’t written modern day. This ‘Kitty’ chick stole it and is taking credit for it.

      1. There seems to be conflicting views on this. Not sure what the definitive answer is. Very happy to correct and attribute correctly when w can establish this.

          1. Craig Binns says:

            Was it written in 1869 or in 1865? Your link to the Polish story is not a source. It is an invitation to purchase a book at a price of $30:14, which I don’t intend to do. Can you let us have evidence for your various statements, for which I am willing to pay the sum of $0:00, or its sterling equivalent. Are you CeeC or Ccee, by the way? Or is Ccee now impersonating CeeC? It’s all very baffling.

          2. susan Jones says:

            I have been led to believe that Catherine(Kitty) M O’ Meara of Wisconsin wrote the prose
            …..and the people stayed at home….
            in response to her anxiety over the covid 19 virus? Please someone let me know if this is untrue.

          3. Craig Binns says:

            The link to the $30:14 book appears again. No thanks. If you’re going to accuse somebody – even a Wisconsin chick – of literary theft in the teeth of the evidence supplied by Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra, no less, you’re going to have to do better than that.

          4. Craig Binns says:

            This is a verse from your even better version of the poem

            We will miss the old man
            who begged for a dollar in the market,
            we didn’t know his name
            although he was always by our side.

            Now tell me, was that written in 1869 by an Irishwoman in a novel about Russian Poland, or was it written in Wisconsin in 2020?

            Here’s a clue for you. The Russian currency unit was then, as it is now, called the Rouble, the Polish currency was then and now called the Zloty, and in Ireland the Pound Sterling was then in use, now the Euro in the Republic.

            But in 2020 Wisconsin beggars in marketplaces seek alms denominated in dollars.

          5. Susan Jones says:

            Thank you Ccee at last I think you have resolved my confusion re the origins of this prose. It seems very wrong though that Catherine (Kitty) O’ Meara, retired teacher, Wisconsin is taking all the credit for authorship without acknowledging that she adapted it from ‘Iza’s story’ by Grace Ramsay!

        1. Susan Jones says:

          Pls do so asap. If Catherine (Kitty) M O’ Meara from Wisconsin did not write the prose ..and the people stayed at home…in response to her anxiety over the Covid 19 virus, somebody is supplying false information leading people to believe that she did.

      2. Craig Binns says:

        You are now suggesting literary theft, even if the alleged culprit is a mere “chick”. Can you please let me have an indication of your source of evidence? Meantime I advise you not to go to Wisconsin, even when the lock down is relaxed.

    3. Susan Jones says:

      Crikey…are you sure? This is very confusing as this means that she or someone else has mislead us into believing that Catherine (Kitty) M O’ wrote it in response to the anxiety she was experiencing caused by the covid 19 virus?!!!! What’s going on?

  16. Lynnette oliver says:

    Wonderful

  17. Susan Jones says:

    Please can you let me know the date of birth of the Catherine M O’ Meara who lives in Winsconsin and is the author of the prose writing
    ….and the people stayed at home.

    1. Craig Binns says:

      The “viral” poem is definitely a recent work, according to authorities of the stature of Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra. See https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/a31747557/and-the-people-stayed-home-poem-kitty-omeara-interview/ . So it wasn’t written in 1865, 1869 or 1919, and Oprah has aesthetically demoted it to the status of “prose poem” with which downgrade I fully concur.

      So the “Wisconsin chick” stole nothing, by this testimony. All her own work. Where the 1869 novel about Russian-ruled Poland comes into this, I am baffled to know, and the way things are going, I’m not likely to find out.

      1. That’s my reading too Craig, a very popular (‘viral’) poem that’s not that great but everyone loves.

        1. Craig Binns says:

          I don’t love it for any worth it has as as a poem, though it contains some attractive ideas, and may be considered as a list of worthy thoughts.

      2. DJH says:

        @ Craig Binns: Let me ask you the same question I previously asked the Editor, – Did you actually read the book “Iza’s Story” written by Grace Ramsey, in which supposedly this poem appears? – If not how can you be so sure where the poem originated?
        FYI, Iza’s Story was Grace Ramsey’s second novel, published in 1869 by a London firm called Hurst and Blackett. In this novel, she addressed the struggle of Polish Patriots against the Russian occupation. She compares it to the Irish-British situation—both Poland and Ireland are Catholic countries oppressed by Protestant nations. In Ireland during the mid-eighteen-hundreds starvation and disease were responsible for more than 1,000,000 excess deaths, most of them attributed to fever, dysentery and smallpox. These three highly contagious diseases, which had long been endemic in Ireland, swept the country epidemically and with great malignity during these years. Their destructiveness was intensified by the presence of other epidemic infections, especially tuberculosis, bronchitis, influenza, pneumonia, diarrhea and measles. The arrival of Asiatic cholera as a pandemic in 1848-49 exacerbated the situation. This fearsome disease added to the physical and mental suffering of the beleaguered population and increased the overall mortality. Therefore it’s quite feasible that Grace Ramsey, aka Catherine O’Meara indeed wrote the poem in question as it was very suitable for that time.

        1. Craig Binns says:

          If Grace Ramsay thought that Russia was a Protestant country in 1869, that was not the least ridiculous of the errors that have been attributed to her. That is ludicrous, and the Procurator of the Holy Synod would have been cross with you for calling him a Protestant. The Protestant country that was occupying part of Poland at that time was Prussia, not Russia, but the Poland novel isn’t about that.

          No I haven’t read the book. What I have done is give sources for the contention that the work is modern, and I have cited linguistic and other internal evidence to that effect. The 69ers in return have given no evidence at all. If you want to give some, set down here the chapter number , the edition and page number, and the wording that immediately precedes and follows the text of the poem as presented in the book. Also why does it refer to dollars, not pounds, roubles or zlotys, and what is its purpose as part of the words of an Irish Catholic woman writing about Russia in Poland, with which it seems to have nothing to do.

        2. Craig Binns says:

          @ the book “Iza’s Story” written by Grace Ramsey, in which supposedly this poem appears? – If not how can you be so sure where the poem originated? …
          both Poland and Ireland are Catholic countries oppressed by Protestant nations. it’s quite feasible that Grace Ramsey, aka Catherine O’Meara indeed wrote the poem in question as it was very suitable for that time. I conclude from this vague and uninformative wording – quite feasible, supposedly, Russia as a “Protestant nation” – that you haven’t read “iza’s Story”either.

        3. Craig Binns says:

          A further indication that you are no more familiar with the book than with the religious history of Russia is that you have simply cut and pasted your account of the work from wiki, not from the text itself as I again now ask you to do. You have even converted tsarist Russia to Protestantism under wikis influence, for this is what we read there

          Iza’s Story was her second novel, published by a London firm called Hurst and Blackett. In this novel, she addresses the struggle of Polish Patriots against the Russian occupation. She compares it to the Irish-British situation—both Poland and Ireland are Catholic countries oppressed by Protestant nations.

          1. DJH says:

            @ Craig Binns: I never claimed I read the novel Iza’s Story by Grace Ramsey, hence my use of the word ‘supposedly’ and yes, I did some of my research on the Internet so I will admit that I should have been more thorough by referring to the source of my information. It seems I was wrong in assuming that you were familiar with the fact that while Russia during that time period occupied a big part of Poland, Prussia, which at the time was a Protestant state, oppressed a part of Catholic Poland as well. Obviously that’s what Grace Ramsey was referring to when comparing it to a similar condition concerning the Irish-British situation. In my opinion the possibility that she may have included the ‘poem’ in question, does not seem that farfetched, considering the incredibly hard times the population of Ireland had been going through during that same period of time, suffering from famine and multiple epidemic infectious diseases, even if it doesn’t have a direct connection with the essence of the novel.

        4. Susan Jones says:

          In my frustrated quest to ascertain the truth as to who did write this prose your information is very helpful. How on earth has the Wisconsin Catherine (Kitty) O’Meara (retired teacher) person ‘got away’ with taking all the credit for composing it.?

          1. Craig Binns says:

            DJH used expressions which are pointless unless he has identified Russia as a Protestant nation. Here is the text he is commenting on
            “. In this novel, she addressed the struggle of Polish Patriots against the Russian occupation. She compares it to the Irish-British situation—both Poland and Ireland are Catholic countries oppressed by Protestant nations,”
            so struggling against the Russian occupation is the same thing as the Irish -‘British situation of Catholics being oppressed by Protestant nations. This is clearly the meaning of the text; it can’t be made to consist with any other interpretation of the words.

  18. Stroller says:

    The poem was actually written on the back of a fag packet by Matt Hancock in between him making up some completely random numbers on testing and some completely random numbers on PPE….

    Or possibly written by Catherine Calderwood as a joke from her second house in Fife….

    1. Stroller says:

      I heard the rumour it is actually inspired on and written as a rejoinder to the famous poem And The People Went Out…

      And the people went out
      At last thank God who else
      And saw their friends again
      And got back to work
      And ceased to watch daily briefings steeped in ineptitude
      Or be patronized to death by glib politicians
      And some went to the pub
      And others went to the gym
      And some rented a cottage in Devon and bought recreational drugs
      While others moved to Belgium

  19. Davina Prisgrove says:

    What is this American woman doing claiming to have written it, just because she has the same surname as the poet who wrote it in 1869? It was reprinted during the Spanish Flu epidemic as well. Very easy to check on the internet.

    1. Craig Binns says:

      If îts easy to check the 1919 reprint on the internet, please go ahead and let us know what you find. I can find nothing specific about a second edition in that year of the novel Iza. But you may have more luck or more skill in finding such things, than I do.

    2. Susan Jones says:

      Dear Davina,
      I absolutely agree. It almost amounts to plagerism! She should have acknowledged the original author instead of taking all the credit herself. Wish she had a website so I could send her a piece of my mind!!!!!

    3. Craig Binns says:

      Davina, has it turned out to be easy to find the 1919 publication of the Iza novel on the internet? I think the situation is that the poem was published for the fist time in 2020 and had no existence before that Kitty O’Meara of Madison, Wisconsin, doesn’t merely have the same name as the original author of the work: she IS its original author.

      However if you have found evidence for a 1919 publication on the internet, please let me know and I will at once apologise for my error.

      1. Davina Prisgrove says:

        This link gives the poem from Iza’s Story written in 1869. The modern poem is clearly plagiarised and shortened and updated a little. Kathleen O’Meara wrote as Grace Ramsay. You can google them.

        https://medium.com/@gian1111/izas-story-by-grace-ramsay-1869-a-poem-for-our-times-english-spanish-4bd8f23e2b51

        Sent from my iPhone

      2. Denise McFarland says:

        Hi Craig,
        Your logic has confirmed to me what I already suspected and pointed out to friends several days ago before finding this thread. Modern language, the dollar, etc., etc. Thank you.
        Poor Kitty, eh? Little credit given for even writing it! Not a bad piece of prose. Seems to me poetry needs a certain metre, if not rhyme. I’m sure I prefer Bob Dylan myself, for his observations and spot-on comments on life. Stay well in these difficult times.
        : ))
        PS. I don’t see that much evidence of people staying at home, more like they are flagrantly disobeying all guidelines.
        : (
        Denise

  20. Craig Binns says:

    Several remarkable admissions there. You can taunt people for not having read the Iza novel when you haven’t read it yourself. Naughty.
    Then having been misled abjectly by wiki in the matter of Russian religion, you state, on my suggestion, that Ramsay was referring to Prussia, not to Russia, in the matter of Catholics oppressed by Protestants. This however makes nonsense of the book’s very title, which is “Iza: a story of life in Russian-Poland.” Not Prussian or Austrian Poland, so that ingenuity is also wasted. Then you tell me that it is “not far fetched” that the novel may have included the poem. I think on stylistic and linguistic grounds it is very far fetched. But here you have decided to shoulder the burden of proof, which falls on those who assert that something does exist, rather than on those who deny it.
    So you haven’t seen it; it “could be” there because plagues afflicted Ireland at that time. So show me the poem, or hold your peace. Finally you tell me that it seems I was wrong in assuming that you were familiar with the fact that while Russia during that time period occupied a big part of Poland, Prussia, which at the time was a Protestant state, oppressed a part of Catholic Poland as well. No you were not wrong, for it was I who introduced the name of Protestant Prussia., not you. How then could I be unaware of its participation in the partitions of that country?

    1. Craig Binns says:

      My reply is to the comment by DJH.

      1. Davina Prisgrove says:

        You can now see the original poem in the link I sent. The modern one is clearly plagiarised. If you want to be kind you can say “inspired by”. However, there are huge similarities that would stand up in a court of law. Kitty should have acknowledged Kathleen; that’s all. Not that I really care. It’s just been a bit of. fun while I’m locked in in my home safely in Western Australia. All the best to you all! Stay safe and well!

        1. Craig Binns says:

          Your link contains no evidence that the “original poem ” was composed in 1869 or first appeared in Ramsay’s novel. You have included an undated poem and an Amazon ad for the book which tells us nothing about the poem being included in it. None of that proves anything.

        2. Craig Binns says:

          You stay safe too. I hope Western Australia is a safe place during this pandemic.

  21. Kim says:

    There’s a poem written by Kathleen O’Meara called Something Lovely that is pretty much your People Stayed Home Really from 1869 after the 1800 plague

    1. Craig Binns says:

      I can’t find the poem Something Lovely on the internet. Do you have an address for it?

    2. Davina Prisgrove says:

      Kitty calls her updated poem ”Something Lovely”. It’s called that on her podcast.

  22. Your Neighbor says:

    Just stumbled on this page because of the poem, but I thought I’d leave a comment. This comment however, is not meant to offend anyone. We all have our opinions in light of this situation, but the one thing that maybe all of us should “get” out of this, is that when the “dust settles”, WE SHOULD ALL BE DIFFERENT! No one is oblivious to the deaths, loss of jobs, or for some wondering how they’re going to eat; and all of us will be impacted by this pandemic in our own way. While we our at home, or still working- we are forced to reflect, take it down a notch in our daily lives, change perspectives, think about what “really matters”….and yet some of you are “offended” by the poem, being critical about who wrote it because of plagiarism!!! Take a step back for gosh sakes…get a grip! Like I said, no one is oblivious to what’s going on!!!! The author posted this because it spoke to them and decided to share it. Someone’s always gotta “pick” about something…just stop for a minute and think. Stop arguing…stop trying to make “your point”…reflect on your own lives and change!!!! That’s the point!!!! And for the life of God Almighty…STOP BASHING TRUMP! GOD BLESS THE USA!!!

    1. Craig Binns says:

      I’m sure that with Trump as president the USA needs all the divine help it can get. However, personally I don’t believe that the poem was plagiarised from an 1869 original. I think it’s a new creation dating from 2020 Wisconsin. To you the truth or otherwise of that contention seems irrelevant bcause the poem makes us feel good about ourselves during the pandemic.

      If there is any kind of thinking that would explain why US votes prefer a lying charlatan over someone who might dare to tell these voters the truth, you have just exhibited it to us, so it is fitting that you should attempt to disparage criticism of that charlatan.

      I personally don’t believe that there is any god, but if I’m wrong, and he really exists. then I like to think of him as a god of truth who decrees that when people decide to share something, even a mere prose poem, it should not be a thing they have stolen and are now passing off as their own property.

      1. Your Neighbor says:

        I think it’s rather comical that you choose to spend your time criticizing others during this time of need and compassion. Funny thing…I knew it would be you to respond. If you don’t like what I said, it’s ok because I’ll sleep at night whether or not you agree. Maybe you should take some time to reflect…perhaps reflect on what type of human being you really are. While we know your not praying, are you donating money to the needy, are you lending an ear to your neighbor…are you doing anything at all besides being cynical? Why take the time to tell me what you “think” of me???? Why show up to a blog and make the point that the author of this blog made a mistake? Stop wasting your time trying to do or say things that don’t matter, and direct your focus towards something that does matter. I certainly hope that you don’t come back to this post again to bash anything else I’ve said because you will have wasted your time. I won’t read it. I’m going to continue to make more masks for others because it’s more important than arguing with someone. Get it?

        1. Craig Binns says:

          You are adept in provocative nastiness, so may God Bless Trump, you and America, all three. And keep making the masks, which will perhaps reduce the death toll in the USA below the hundred thipoudand fatalities that Trump considers acceptable.

  23. Katrina Dewar says:

    The words are lovely and promising for change. Whether written in the 1800’s, or now by an American of same name or an Italian in this century, does it really matter?
    Has anybody read Iza’s story….

  24. Kjavier says:

    The poem is interestingly hoping to come out of this pandemic, after people following certain rules like “stay home,” then making the world a better place after grieving for the dead.

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