There's little point in trying to whitewash things: the human race is in a difficult moment. We're trying to cope with something that we don't have a whole lot of experience in coping with. Every culture handles adversity in its own unique way. It's been incredible to realise that in Ireland we have a reservoir of strength to draw from when things get hairy. It's called culture. People pay it lip service, others moan about all the funding it gets. Maybe it's only when things get bad that we as a society can fully appreciate how much we value it and actually need it to function as a peope.
Isn't it amazing, for instance, that there exists in this country a succinct, accessibly, lyrical and poignant poetic expression of the philosophical mantra 'this too shall pass'. It's called 'Everything Is Going To Be All Right' by the poet Derek Mahon. Maybe you've heard it on Morning Ireland in the last week, or at the end of Six One news on Friday evening. It's rare for poems to have 'moments', but Mahon's work has become wonderfully resonant at this trying time.
A poem: 'Everything is going to be all right'
Amid the sad news and anxiety the Covid-19 crisis is causing us all, here are words from one of Ireland's most famous poets, Derek Mahon pic.twitter.com/PajNgoNmkJ— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 27, 2020
'Everything Is Going To Be All Right' is a poem that admits that hardship and mortality are a part of life (There will be dying, there will be dying / but there is no need to go into that.) but that the beauty of the world has a power of its own (The sun rises in spite of everything/and the far cities are beautiful and bright.) It's not trying to dodge reality or sugarcoat existence, but just remind us all that there is beauty all around us. Even its title is reassuring.
There'a Mahonassaince happening on social media on the back of the Covid-19 outbreak, which is brilliant to see. Now more than ever we need our poets and artists. Incredibly, many have already made work in preparation of this fraught moment. We just needed to open our ears.
Read the whole poem here.
